GMCH-32 nursing officers’ recruitment : Role of agency that conducted test under lens

Chandigarh Police are investigating the role of the external agency that was hired to conduct the written test in August last year while probing the use of unfair means by candidates to get jobs

Probing into the use of unfair means by candidates for getting jobs of nursing officers at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, police are also investigating the role of the external agency that was hired to conduct the written test in August last year.

On April 19, GMCH authorities had sought criminal proceedings against the six new hires, following which a case was registered at the Sector-34 police station on April 20. (HT File Photo)

Police have so far booked 16 accused, including eight candidates and their eight impersonators.

On Sunday, police had arrested one of the accused candidates, Rekhraj Kachchhwah, 24, of Pipar City, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and his impersonator, Joginder Kumar, 28, a nursing assistant at a Jodhpur hospital.

“We are investigating if there was any involvement of officials of the agency that conducted the exam or if these were individual cases of impersonation,” said an officer privy to the case.

On April 19, GMCH authorities had sought criminal proceedings against the six new hires, following which a case was registered at the Sector-34 police station on April 20.

During a verification process after recruitment of the nursing officers, GMCH officials had noticed discrepancies in the photograph and signature of one candidate.

GMCH had issued advertisements for recruitment of 182 nursing officers in December 2021. The recruitments were to be done on the basis of merit obtained in a written test and there was no provision of interview. An external agency was hired to conduct the written test, which was held at 39 centres in Chandigarh on August 28, 2022. A total of 10,594 candidates had appeared for the test.