Candidates who reached exam centres in Lucknow before sunrise on Sunday found themselves waiting outside instead of sitting for the paper. Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences cancelled the Stage-II recruitment tests for Nursing Officer and Hospital Attendant Grade-II posts after technical problems disrupted biometric checks.

Roughly 8,500 candidates had cleared the first stage held in June and were due to appear in two shifts across seven centres. Many had come from districts across Uttar Pradesh and from neighbouring states. For most, the jobs offered a rare chance at permanent work in a government medical institute.

Trouble started early at three centres in Chhota Bharwara, Gomti Nagar. SDSN Degree College, SDSN Public School and Juris College of Law all reported slow or failed biometric verification linked to internet connectivity. Queues built up. Tempers rose. Some candidates alleged the process was not being followed properly and raised questions about fairness.

The examination cell first cancelled the tests at those three venues. Later it decided to scrap both shifts at every centre so that no group of candidates would be placed at an advantage or disadvantage. Officials said the question paper packets from the affected centres came back sealed and that claims of a paper leak had no basis.

At the SDSN centre, candidates gathered and made their anger clear. Local police arrived quickly, spoke to the group, and brought the situation under control. By afternoon the area was quiet again.

The recruitment covers about 1,700 nursing posts and around 300 hospital attendant positions. For young people from smaller towns, these openings matter. Travel costs, lost daily wages and the mental load of preparing again now sit on their shoulders while they wait for the institute to announce new dates.

SGPGI has asked candidates to watch its website for the revised schedule. The Special Task Force has been asked to examine the technical and operational failures that forced the cancellation. Until fresh dates are out, thousands of aspirants remain in limbo, checking their phones and hoping the next attempt runs smoothly.