Himachal Police B-1 Promotion Exam Cancelled Due to Technical Glitches

The Himachal Pradesh Police’s B-1 promotion examination, scheduled for Sunday, was abruptly cancelled after widespread technical glitches disrupted the online system across multiple centres. The sudden cancellation left thousands of candidates disappointed.

The exam was being conducted to determine the promotion of 4,461 police constables and was to be held under the supervision of respective district superintendents of police in two online shifts—morning and evening. Around 2,696 candidates were scheduled for the morning session and 1,765 for the evening. However, the process was disrupted soon after the exam began.

As candidates logged in, numerous complaints surfaced regarding serious technical issues. Many reported being unable to submit their answers, while others said their question papers contained incorrect options or mismatched data. Despite repeated attempts to fix the glitches, the problems persisted, forcing the department to cancel the examination altogether.

Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Tiwari later confirmed the cancellation in an official statement, citing “technical issues during the online examination” as the reason. He emphasized that the decision was made to maintain fairness, transparency, and uniformity in the process.

“To ensure smooth conduct, the exam was scheduled in two shifts. The Himachal Pradesh Police regrets the inconvenience caused to all participating candidates,” Tiwari said. He added that a new date for the exam would be announced soon once all technical shortcomings were addressed.

The DGP also urged candidates to stay in touch with their respective district police offices and follow official communication channels for verified updates.

Meanwhile, the incident has drawn political criticism. Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur accused the state government of incompetence and poor planning.

“Candidates were made to sit for nearly six hours, yet officials failed to resolve the technical glitches. At some centres, candidates couldn’t submit answers; at others, the answer options were incorrect. In many places, the main server was disconnected, and there were discrepancies in both the number of questions and the duration of the exam, which was supposed to be held simultaneously. The entire process was chaotic. When the situation became public and candidates began protesting, the administration hastily decided to cancel the exam,” Thakur said.