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Over 8,000 candidates, under 200 posts: Odisha exam held on airstrip, hard-to-believe videos go viral
Over 8,000 candidates appeared for 187 Home Guard posts in Odisha, with the exam held at an airstrip, sparking criticism of the state govt.
Under 200 posts, over 8,000 candidates, where do you fit them all in one go? An airstrip. What sounds bizarre - and looks even more unbelievable in videos that have surfaced on social media - happened in Odisha, where thousands of candidates appeared for examinations for Home Guard posts recently and were made to sit, on the ground, at the Sambalpur airstrip for writing the exam.
The examination, videos of which have flooded social media, has also sparked a political slugfest, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) slamming Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the state over employment issue.
The examination reportedly took place at the airstrip on December 16, with over 8,000 candidates having appeared for the same.
Some of the candidates who competed for 187 Home Guard posts were qualified with MBA and MCA degrees, PTI news agency reported on December 19. The Home Guards in Odisha receive a daily allowance of ₹639, the news agency quoted an official as saying.
Keeping in view the large number of candidates, the Sambalpur district police held the written test at the airstrip that is hardly used, PTI reported.
“To conduct a smooth recruitment, the police deployed additional force along with drones for aerial monitoring of the venue and to ensure discipline,” a senior official was quoted.
Political row over examination on airstrip
As photos and videos of the recruitment test being held at the airstrip went viral on social media, the TMC criticised the state’s BJP government over the state’s employment issue.
Attaching a video of the recruitment rest, the TMC in an X post said, “This is not a movie scene. This is BJP-ruled Odisha. Where more than 8,000 aspirants, including MBA & MCA graduates, were lining up for just 187 Home Guard vacancies.
"This is the brutal reality of @BJP4India’s so-called double engine governance. Degrees in hand. Jobs nowhere. Unemployment isn’t an accident; it’s BJP’s achievement,” the X post read.
While the candidates reported for the examination at 6 am, they were provided with question papers at 9 am, an official said.
The written test comprised a 20-mark paragraph writing exercise and a 30-mark general knowledge test, which lasted an hour, they said.
Odisha BJP is yet to respond to the TMC’s criticism.
