Jharkhand excise constable recruitment drive held for 'votes': Chouhan

Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday accused the Hemant Soren-led government of holding the excise constable recruitment drive for "votes" that claimed 12 lives.

Chouhan, who is also the BJP Jharkhand election in-charge, arrived in Ranchi on Sunday to take stock of preparations for the assembly polls, which are due later year.

"Seeing the election, the CM, who had promised five lakh jobs and understood that it cannot be fulfilled, made the youths run for 10 km. This led to the death of 12 youths," the Union Agriculture minister told reporters at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport.

Chouhan said that the 10-km run did not happen anywhere.

"Without proper arrangements, the Hemant Soren government hatched a conspiracy to mislead the youth in the greed for votes, which took the lives of many youths," he said.

Chouhan alleged Soren knew that recruitment cannot be done at this time, no matter how many interviews are conducted.

He alleged, "This is not a mere accident but murders that have been done in the greed for votes, for which the youth of Jharkhand will never forgive the government."

The ruling JMM, however, alleged that the assessment rule was amended in the BJP regime in 2016. A party office-bearer said that the Jharkhand Excise Constable Cadre (Recruitment and Service Conditions) Rules, 2013, had provisioned a candidate to run 1.6 km or one mile in six minutes.

The physical tests for the Jharkhand excise constable recruitment drive, which began on August 22, were halted following the deaths of 12 aspirants.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren had instructed the suspension of the drive from September 3 to September 5 due to these fatalities.

The remaining part of the drive for around 1.14 lakh candidates will resume on September 10 with revised norms.

In response to health concerns, devices to monitor oxygen levels and blood pressure, as well as provisions for ORS and fruits, will be available at each centre where the tests will be held, a police official said.

To manage the process more effectively, only 3,000 candidates will be tested per day, and the exercise will conclude by 8 am, he said.

Around 1.87 lakh candidates have participated in the running test so far, with 1.17 lakh passing it.