Assam CM Calls for Investigation Into Fatalities During Jharkhand Police Recruitment Drive

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has gone all guns blazing at the Jharkhand state government following reports of the death of several candidates while undergoing a physical fitness test for police recruitment.

Addressing a press conference in Ranchi, Chief Minister Sarma called upon the National Human Rights Commission to probe into the incident and demanded compensation be given to the family of the candidates who had died.

Expressing grave concern over the conduct of the physical efficiency tests, Chief Minister Sarma condemned the incident while stating that many candidates had lost their lives during the police recruitment drive. He went on to say that for any recruitment process in the country, this was the first time so many deaths had taken place, adding that the BJP "strongly condemned" the incident and held the state government responsible for the fatalities.

The Assam Chief Minister also announced a move to file an application with the NHRC to seek inquiry into the incident. He also asked the Jharkhand government to pay compensation amounting to at least Rs 50 lakh to the families of the deceased.

Chief Minister Sarma further attacked the timing and conditions of the exams, claiming they were being held under intense heat and without any decent provisions for candidates. He said that the tests should be conducted after September and mentioned that the current temperatures were too hot to undertake such tasks.

He mentioned that many of the candidates who came did not receive any food in the morning and mentioned that fifteen youths had died so far.

He further said that he has appealed to the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to postpone the dates of examination to after September 15, and also asked him for better conditions to the candidates. Sarma suggested that all candidates should be provided with milk and fruits and they should only be allowed to run after they are medically tested.

The physical tests, part of the recruitment of Jharkhand excise constable, started on August 22 at seven centres across six districts and would continue till September 9. In all, physical tests of 127,772 candidates had been conducted till August 30, of which 78,023 had been evaluated so far.

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