‘Recruitment scam’
Protestors gherao MLA Doda, MLA Pulwama vehicles, let them go after assurances
SUMIT SHARMA
Jammu: Chaos erupted outside the Civil Secretariat as scores of protestors staged a demonstration demanding justice over an alleged recruitment scam in Fire and Emergency Services dating back to 2013. The protestors, claiming to be victims of the scam, accused authorities of delaying justice and failing to address their concerns despite repeated attempts.
The protestors alleged that several recruitment processes since 2013 had been marred by corruption, with three examination cycles declared invalid.
They claimed that these fraudulent practices had severely impacted their career prospects, leaving many over-aged and ineligible for government jobs.
As the demonstration intensified, police attempted to disperse the crowd by engaging in dialogue.
However, the protestors refused to vacate the premises, resulting in a scuffle between the two sides. The situation escalated, forcing the police to resort to a lathi charge (baton charge) to control the situation.
“We will continue our protest until justice is served,” one protestor said. “Our demands are clear — either provide us with fair job opportunities or take accountability for the mismanagement that has cost us our future.”
The protestors later gheraoed the vehicles of Miraj Malik, MLA Doda from Aam Aadmi Party and Waheed Parray, MLA Pulwama from PDP at Indira Chowk. The duo MLAs were on their way after attending an ongoing Assembly Session. MLA Miraj Malik and MLA Waheed Parray got out of their cars, and assured the protesters that they will raise their issue in the Legislative Assembly tomorrow. It was only after their assurances, the protestors allowed their vehicles to go.
Sharing details, the protestors said that thousands of youth had applied for various posts in the Jammu and Kashmir Fire and Emergency Services, and about 7,000 of them had appeared for a written test in 2013 after the initial shortlist. The interviews could not be held after the Kashmir region was swept by massive floods in 2014, and the recruitment process was cancelled in 2017. Another test was held in 2018 but was again cancelled amidst allegations of irregularities.
Another test was conducted on September 20, 2020, and the selection list was issued despite fresh claims of irregularities in the selection process.
Pertinently, the demand for cancellation of the selection list of the fire and emergency services department gained momentum after the Jammu and Kashmir administration cancelled the police sub-inspector recruitment process in July and handed over the case to the CBI.
