Why nearly dozen excise constable aspirants died during recruitment drive in Jharkhand

Hemant Soren

In the wake of over a dozen deaths of aspirants of Jharkhand excise constables, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has issued instructions to halt the ongoing recruitment drive for the next three days.

While some of the candidates who appeared for the physical test died allegedly due to heat exhaustion, reports also suggest a few among them took physical boosters to clear the test. Soren has formed a committee of health experts to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

Opposition BJP has claimed that 15 candidates have so far lost their lives, while according to the Jharkhand Police, 12 aspirants have died.

A candidate named Deepak Kumar Paswan who appeared for the physical test in Palamu died in a hospital after he fainted. According to The Times of India, citing an official, Deepak was comatose when he was admitted to Medanta Hospital and died of multi-organ failure. His oxygen saturation was also low.

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Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) September 2, 2024

"I have issued instructions to halt the excise constables’ recruitment drive for three days. The physical tests, too, will not be held after 9 am," Soren said in a post on X.

Terming the deaths of aspirants as sad and heartbreaking, the CM said instructions have also been issued for immediate review of rules made by the previous government.

"There will be adequate presence of doctors for candidates who feel the need for a health check-up before the physical tests. Arrangements for breakfast/fruits will also be made so that the aspirants don’t participate in the run empty stomach," Soren said.

Hypotension and low SPO2 levels have been blamed by the doctors in most of the cases.

The physical tests for Jharkhand excise constable recruitment began on August 22 at seven centres in six districts for 583 posts, and were scheduled to continue till September 9.

As of August 30, a total of 127,772 aspirants had participated in the physical tests, with 78,023 emerging successful, police said.