Police aspirant dies during recruitment drive

The deceased has been identified as Purshottam Barkul, 23, a resident of Deulgaon Raja in Buldhana district

A 23-year-old police recruitment aspirant died after collapsing during a 1,600-metre running test in Pune. The incident occurred during a physical examination round at Shivajinagar police headquarters ground on Saturday.

The victim had completed two out of the four rounds successfully. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

The deceased has been identified as Purshottam Barkul, 23, a resident of Deulgaon Raja in Buldhana district.

The process of physical measurement and field tests for candidates has been underway since March 13, at the police headquarters for filling 130 vacant posts of prison constables under the prisons and correctional services department.

The victim had completed two out of the four rounds successfully. During the third round, he collapsed suddenly. Medical officers present at the spot immediately examined him and found his pulse to be extremely weak. He was then shifted in an ambulance, which had been stationed at the venue for emergency services, to Sassoon General Hospital for treatment.

During transit, his oxygen level could not be detected using a pulse oximeter, following which cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered and primary treatment was given. However, the candidate did not respond to the treatment.

Upon arrival at Sassoon Hospital, doctors conducted further examination and performed an electrocardiogram (ECG), after which he was declared dead. The exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed, and authorities are awaiting the postmortem report.

Police have registered an accidental death case and initiated further investigation into the incident.

Aspirants claim that necessary facilities were lacking during the recruitment process. They also claimed that the heat was intense while the physical examination was in progress.

Sanjay Patil, additional commissioner of police (administration) refuted all allegations. He said, “The incident occurred at 9:24 am, and therefore the issue of extreme heat does not arise. All facilities were present on site and the ambulance reached the spot within just two minutes.”