Srinagar
Delhi Police’s efforts to recruit people to join its ranks from Kashmir has got a cold response, where only 50 youths applied for the post of constable — a stark contrast to the 5,300-plus youths who applied for the post from Jammu, reports said on Wednesday.
Owing to the lukewarm response, Delhi Police decided to cancel the physical test it had planned to conduct in Kashmir, sources said. The Delhi Police has been conducting the current recruitment drive with help from the Staff Selection Commission. Several teams, led by DCP and additional DCP-level officers, have been tasked to conduct the ongoing “physical endurance and measurement test”. The selection process will conclude once candidates pass an online written examination, to be held in the coming months.
“Physical tests in Jammu were conducted between May 8 and May 17. A team of 50 police personnel, headed by a DCP-level officer and three ACP-level officers, conducted the tests, sources quoted by Indian Express have said.
Additional DCP (New Delhi) R P Meena told The Indian Express that during the 10-day recruitment drive, 432 applicants appeared for the exams, and 97 qualified for the written exam. “The entrance exam will be conducted in the coming months,” said Meena.
An official said the huge difference between the number of applicants and the number of people who eventually turned up for the test could be explained by the fact that a lot of people aren’t aware of the requisite documentation, and drop the plan to take the test once they find out. Sources said that since there was such a lukewarm response from the Valley, police decided to conduct the physical test in Jammu only.
Sources told The Indian Express that police had earlier booked a stadium to conduct the test in Srinagar, but cancelled the booking later. A police officer said the “tension” in the Valley might be to blame for the response. “Delhi Police would like to induct more Kashmiris into the force,” the officer said. Sources said that in the 1990s, Delhi Police used to conduct a pan-India recruitment drive, but it was stopped due to lack of infrastructure. In 2013, Delhi Police recruited youths from Northeastern states through such an exercise.
