12 candidates die during Jharkhand Excise Constable recruitment drive

According to the rules of the selection, which started August 22, the candidates have to finish the run within 60 minutes to advance to the written test and a final medical examination before recruitment.

Top officials said the deaths during this year's Jharkhand Excise Constable Competitive Examination recruitment drive were caused by several factors, including a change in assessment rules that required candidates to run 10 km instead of 1.6 km, the absence of fitness level evaluations, high humidity, and the decision to conduct physical tests before the written exam, according to an Indian Express report.

The deceased, aged 19 to 31, include Amresh Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Ajay Mahato, Arun Kumar, and Deepak Kumar Pandu from Palamu; Manoj Kumar and Suraj Kumar Verma from Hazaribagh; Vikas Linda from Sahibganj, and Sumit Yadav from Giridih, the report said.

The identities of three others have not been disclosed.

As of September 2, 1.87 lakh candidates participated in the physical tests, with 1.17 lakh qualifying for the next round, the report stated.

This recruitment drive, the first since Jharkhand's formation in 2000, had earlier been initiated in 2008 and 2019 but was never completed.

The state government asserts that the tests were carried out in compliance with legal procedures. Meanwhile, the police state that "many candidates died from heart attacks, which can occur for a variety of reasons."

“Some candidates met with sudden death, some died before reaching the hospitals and some after being admitted. The postmortem has been done, and the remaining process in the FSL (tests of viscera samples) are being done. The final report will take time,” Jharkhand’s Additional DG (Headquarter) R K Mallick was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

He added that the candidates have now been advised to undergo medical checkup before the physical assessment.

The Hemant Soren government has ordered an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths, with the drive paused and set to resume on September 9. The inquiry report is awaited, the report added.

According to government sources, the issue may stem from a 2016 amendment to the assessment rules.

On August 1, 2016, the Jharkhand Excise Department issued a notification that revised the Jharkhand Excise Constable Cadre (Recruitment and Service Conditions) Rules, 2013. Previously, candidates were required to run 1.6 km, or one mile, within six minutes.

The amended rules, modelled after the Jharkhand State Police Recruitment Rules of 2014, increased the distance to 10 km for men and 5 km for women, to be completed within 60 minutes.

For comparison, the Indian Army's Agniveer policy requires a 1.6 km run in less than six minutes. The reasons behind this change in assessment remain unclear, according to sources.

Sources also pointed out another factor--a recent modification in the order of the assessment tests under the current Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government.

A top source indicated that this adjustment required candidates to undergo physical tests before the written exam, resulting in a larger pool of competitors.