Touts on the prowl as police recruitment begins

Watertight recruitment process to prevent manipulation, claims Bhanu

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, May 28:  Four touts, including two women, have been arrested, while a police constable has been placed under suspension for allegedly luring people with fake promises of selection with the Assam Police launching a massive recruitment drive to fill up posts of 6,748 constables (armed branch).

The police recruitment drive was launched on March 25 at 37 centres across the State. There are around 3.11 lakh aspirants for the posts.

Assam Police Recruitment Board chairman Pradeep Kumar said ten to twelve cases of touts demanding money from aspirants have been reported so far. A constable has been arrested in Hailakandi, two women touts bbed in Golaghat while an employee of a private firm engaged in the recruitment process was also caught taking Rs 3,000 from a candidate who failed in the physical tests.

“We have received ten to twelve such cases of aspirants being cheated. All are being investigated. There are allegations against some police officers as well,” Additiol Chief Secretary MGVK Bhanu said.

Claiming that the recruitment process has been made “water-tight” so that there cannot be any manipulation, Bhanu urged aspirants to inform police in case anyone demands money with fake promises of facilitating their selection.

“The process of selection has been made in such a way that there cannot be any manipulation. There is no scope for political influence either. There will not be any oral interviews. The selection will be based on the physical tests (60 marks), an OMR based written test (25 marks) and 15 marks for academic qualification,” Bhanu said.

The physical test comprise of four events – 1.6 km race, 100 m race, long jump and high jump. The candidates get to know their marks immediately after completion of the events, as they are based on the timer. Sigtures of the candidates are being taken against their marks to avoid any tampering. The physical tests are being videographed, commissioner & secretary (home) Prateek Hazela said.

Moreover, fingerprints of the candidates have been taken through a biometric system to ensure there is no proxy candidates for the written tests.

He said advertisements for filling up posts of 2,564 constables (urmed branch) will be published in July and the recruitment process completed by December. Recruitment for 284 posts of sub inspector (urmed branch) will also be held simultaneously.