Recruitment to police, paramilitary forces: India

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Fitness tests

Casualties, 2013-2024

Raj Shekhar, Durgesh Jha & ASRP Mukesh, Sep 4, 2024: The Times of India

New Delhi : A 10-km run in 60 minutes or a 1,600-metre sprint in six may be a cakewalk for athletes. The same activity may turn into a risky challenge for some job-seekers, as seen in the Jharkhand excise constable recruitment test. Twelve youths died while taking the physical test for 583 posts, for which over 5 lakh candidates filled forms.


The deaths in Jharkhand have put the spotlight on a myriad issues affecting these endurance tests — which are part of the qualifying requirements for securing a job in police or central armed police forces (CAPFs).


But Jharkhand is not the only state. Last year, a 26-year-old man taking part in the police recruitment drive in Mumbai died after running 1,600 metres during the physical tests. In 2014, five constable aspirants had died after undergoing a physical test. Some candidates for the Jharkhand constable job said the sudden announcement of the recruitment drive gave them little time to prepare for the gruelling test. But what leads to such deaths, and how can they be prevented?


Experts Call For Doctor’s Nod


While an inquiry is underway to ascertain the cause of death in each case in Jharkhand, senior police officials and health experts called for more comprehensive rules to govern these endurance tests. There was wide agreement that candidates should be asked to provide a certificate from a registered medical practitioner affirming that they were medically fit to undergo the endurance test.


“I feel that a physical examination to assess fitness for endurance tests should be a must. Also, the recruiters must look out for warning signs such as drowsiness, sudden loss of consciousness and palpitations,” said Dr Sudhir Gupta, professor and head of forensic sciences at AIIMS. “The responsibility of being prepared to handle the physical and mental stress that comes with endurance tests may lie with the applicant, but recruiters need to be alert to deal with medical issues arising in such situations.”


Undiagnosed heart conditions can also add to the risk of sudden death. To prevent that, recruiters must exclude a history of syncope (sudden loss of consciousness), presyncope, dizziness, chest pain and previous breathlessness and seizures before putting a candidate through the endurance test, said Dr Mohit Gupta, professor of cardiology at Delhi’s GB Pant Hospital.


“A thorough sports physical examination, including an assessment of personal and family medical history, physical exam, and electrocardiogram, can be useful in ruling out any existing cardiac condition,” added Dr Rajesh Malhotra, senior consultant orthopaedic at Apollo hospital. 
For each job that is advertised, thousands of applicants turn up, often travelling long distances in tough conditions. Doctors said there should also be resting spots at the physical test camp and medical aid for any health needs.


Difficult Ask


“In Delhi, the athletic eligibility criteria for participants is broken down by age, with specific performance standards for each group. Individuals up to 30 years have to complete the 1,600m run in 6 minutes, and clear a long jump of 14ft and high jump of 3.9ft,” said an ADGP rank officer who oversees these recruitments in Delhi.


“For those between 30 and 40 years, the standards are slightly more lenient: A 7-minute completion time for the 1,600m run, 13ft for the long jump, and 3.6ft for high jump. For aspirants above 40 1,600m have to be completed in 8 minutes with a minimum long jump of 12ft and high jump of 3.3ft,” the officer added. Candidates who successfully complete the run are eligible to proceed to the long and high jump rounds. For each of the jumps, they get three attempts at clearance.
In Jharkhand, the applicants were required to finish 10km within an hour. 
Thus, the run becomes a formidable challenge for the applicants and some end up pushing themselves beyond their capacity or ability. A senior officer also pointed out that decisions regarding disqualification in the run and the jumps are final and cannot be appealed. This, he said, drives the applicants to give their utmost and creates a ‘do-ordie’ kind of situation.


Mismanagement, Steroids 


Mismanagement at exam centres, including lack of water, is also a concern, cops said. While things are better in Delhi and other metros — given the enhanced scrutiny — absence of facilities, and delays are not unknown in other places, particularly in the rural belt, officers said.
 Another issue, experts said, is the use of “performance boosters” among aspirants. Many of these ‘pills’, they said, causes the heartbeat to fluctuate massively and can also lead to other emergency scenarios.


“Anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs stimulate the heart to work too hard to pump blood. This can cause hypertrophy or thickening of the heart’s muscles and lead to heart failure. These drugs can cause arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, which can cause sudden death. Therefore, the use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids, stimulants and supplements must be prevented,” said Gupta, the GB Pant cardiologist.