25-year-old aspirant dies during state police recruitment drive

The incident occurred around 8am when Birade participated in a running test. “Birade was running at a good speed but collapsed during the last round,” said an SRPF officer

THANE: A 25-year-old candidate died while giving the physical test for the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) recruitment drive in Thane on Saturday. The deceased, Akshay Birade, and five other candidates experienced dizziness and vomiting and were rushed to Kalwa Hospital. The Shil-daighar police have registered an accidental death report.

Akshay Birade.

Birade scummed to his injuries, while another participant, Prem Thakare, 29, from Dhule, is currently in the ICU. Additionally, four others, Abhishek Sete, 24, Sumit Adatkar, 23, Sahil Lawan, 19, and Pawan Shinde, 25, are now out of danger and are recovering. An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the sudden death.

The SRPF team of Navi Mumbai organized a recruitment drive near Shil-Daighar in Thane, at an open ground, which attracted nearly 2,000 participants.

The incident occurred around 8am when Birade participated in a running test. In the test, there are three rounds of five kilometres to be completed in 25 minutes to get 50 marks. “Birade was running at a good speed but collapsed during the last round,” said an SRPF officer

He was given immediate first aid and was transported to Kalwa Hospital, where he vomited blood after being admitted. “He seemed stable following the treatment. His sister and brother-in-law visited him at the hospital, and he was conversing with them normally. He even spoke to someone on the phone and had some coconut water. However, he suddenly felt dizzy again and passed away,” the SRPF officer added.

Dr A Malgaonkar, Kalwa Hospital health officer, said, “The exact cause of his death is under investigation and can be known only after the postmortem.”

Birade, originally from Jalgaon, was residing at his sister’s place in Navi Mumbai. He was attempting police recruitment for the second time, driven by his desire to settle down in life as per his late father’s wishes, according to relatives.

Recruiters from various regions were accommodated at the campsite, where they were provided with food, shelter, and energy drinks.

Dilip Khedekar, the camp in-charge of SRPF, said, “This unfortunate incident occurred during the physical tests. Immediate first aid was administered to all affected individuals, who were promptly transported to the hospital. The SRPF team is actively investigating the causes behind these incidents.” Khedekar emphasized that their primary focus remains on ensuring the health and well-being of all participants involved in the recruitment process.