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20-year-old dies by suicide after failing to clear Agniveer test in Uttarakhand
Kapkot police station in-charge Vivek Chandra said the man consumed a poisonous substance after failing to clear the test
A 20-year-old man from Kapkot in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district allegedly died by suicide after having a poisonous substance following his failure in clearing the Agniveer recruitment test, police said. He left a video about why he ended his life on Monday. The 20-year-old can be heard crying and showing a bottle of poison in the video.
“I have no other option left. I did a lot of hard work. I was rejected from the race despite having an NCC [National Cadet Core] ‘C’ certificate [for attending a minimum of 75% of the total training parade]. ...no one should try for Agniveer recruitment.”
Kapkot police station in-charge Vivek Chandra said the man consumed the poisonous substance after failing to clear the test. “We have completed all medico-legal formalities, including post-mortem.”
In a tweet, Congress lawmaker Bhuwan Kapri called the man a promising youngster. “Despite having 100 marks for physical test, NCC ‘C’ certificate, and clearing the medical exam, his name was not on the merit list. It is an unfortunate incident. ...ending your life is not an option for missing an opportunity in life and not being selected.”
On August 17, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched the Agniveer recruitment drive at Kotdwar in the Pauri Garhwal district. He promised the state government will provide employment to the Agniveers after the completion of their four-year service.
Uttarakhand minister Satpal Maharaj later wrote to defence minister Rajnath Singh asking him to look into complaints about eligibility criteria at the Agniveer recruitment rallies. In a video message, Maharaj said the criteria for height and time to complete the 1,600-metre race were not being followed. “The aspirants are being considered for selection only if their height is 170 cm or more. [It is] against the fixed eligibility criteria of 163 cm.”
The Agniveer short-term defence recruitment scheme was introduced this year.
On August 24, a 23-year-old man from Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district allegedly died by suicide for failing to get recruited.
