Recruitment test venue turns into battleground

Statesman News Service

MALDA, July 25: The BSF jawans allegedly roughed up 10 youths, who had arrived for a recruitment test at the BSF’s sector office at Narayanpur today.Protesting against the incident, angry youths blocked NH-34 at Narayanpur for sometime and pelted stones at the BSF vehicles. The police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. It was learnt that BSF had published an advertisement for inducting 80 employees for the post of cook, carpenter, sweeper and so on.In response to this advertisement, nearly 20,000 candidates from all over the country turned up for the recruitment test at the BSF office in Narayanpur. They were waiting in a queue since past two days for this recruitment test. However, it was alleged that the BSF jawans of 72 battalion stationed at the gates of the campus were allowing only their candidates to appear for the recruitment test. Other candidates somehow came to know about the selection procedure and raised a protest.This angered the BSF jawans, who allegedly resorted to lathi charge over the candidates. Dhanu Nayek, who had come from Orissa for this recruitment test, showed fresh wounds inflicted by the BSF lathi charge on his body. Rajendra Rabbal, who had come all the way from Andaman and Nicobar Island, was also severely injured in the process.“We had been waiting in a queue since last two days. But we found that jawans at the gate were allowing their own candidates to appear for the test. When we protested, they tried to drive us away “, said Uttam Sarkar of Ratua. Police finally had to intervene to control the mob. It is learnt that the recruitment will go on for the next two days. BSF officials, however, brushed aside all the allegations.Mr SK Rudra, a BSF officer, said: “Our jawans did not beat the candidates. They were just trying to manage the huge crowd that had gathered for the jobs.”