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Uttarakhand: 23-yr-old dies by suicide after failing in Agniveer recruitment
The 23-year-old man from Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district, who failed in the army recruitment in the two previous attempts due to medical reasons, failed in his last attempt in the Agniveer recruitment rally on Wednesday
A 23-year-old man from Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand allegedly died suicide on Wednesday night after he faced disqualification in the ongoing Agniveer recruitment in the state, said a senior official.
The deceased returned home from an ongoing Agniveer recruitment rally in Kotdwar under the Army Recruiting Office, Lansdowne on Wednesday after he failed to get selected in his last attempt, said Satpuli sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Sandeep Kumar.
The victim was under depression and had also failed to clear the army recruitment in the two previous attempts due to medical reasons, he said.
Quoting the family’s statement, the SDM said the victim ate his meal properly after returning from the Agniveer recruitment rally and had not much interaction with the family, and subsequently went to his room to sleep.
The next morning, when his family members opened the door, they found him hanging from the ceiling fan, he added.
He said though they conducted a panchnama, the family gave the administration a letter seeking no post-mortem.
Amid ongoing recruitment for Agniveers, youngsters from parts of the state have been venting out their anger on social media, alleging negligence of laid out eligibility criteria in the recruitment rallies.
In this regard, cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj recently wrote a letter to defence minister Rajnath Singh, asking him to look into the matter. In a video message, the minister said the eligibility criteria for height and time to complete the 1,600-metre race is not being followed in the state in the Agniveer recruitment rallies.
“Aspirants are being given 5 minutes to complete the 1,600-metre race against 5 min 40 sec earlier,” he said in the letter.
“The aspirants are being considered for selection only if their height is 170 cm or more against the fixed eligibility criteria of 163 cm,” he added.
On Friday, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand Naresh Bansal raised the same matter in his letter to defence minister Rajnath Singh.
Meanwhile, Congress state president Karan Mahara hit out at the Modi government, saying unemployed youngsters have been left with no option but to appear in Agniveer recruitments.
On August 17, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, launched the Agniveer recruitment under the Agnipath scheme at Kotdwar in Pauri Garhwal district and said that the state government will provide employment to the Agniveers after completion of their four-year service.
When asked, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Pauri Garhwal, Yaswant Singh said he has no knowledge about the matter.
“It may have happened in the jurisdiction of revenue police otherwise I must have received the information,” he said.
Satpuli police station house officer (SHO) Lakhan Singh said the incident took place in the jurisdiction of revenue police and they have not much knowledge about it.
“If any big crime happens, there is also a provision of transfer of the case from revenue police to regular police on the orders of district magistrate,” he added.
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