Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren halts excise constable recruitment drive for 3 days amid deaths of candidates

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday said he has issued instructions to halt the ongoing recruitment drive for excise constables for the next three days in the wake of deaths of some candidates, who appeared in the physical tests.

Soren also said a committee of health experts has been formed to ascertain the cause of the deaths.

"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.

The panel will submit its report soon, he said.

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

The BJP has claimed that 15 candidates have so far lost their lives, while according to the Jharkhand Police, deaths of 12 aspirants have been reported thus far. The state’s Health Minister Banna Gupta has put the figure at four.

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