Ex-Lokayukta for judicial probe into deaths due to drug ‘overdose’

KURUKSHETRA: Former Haryana Lokayukta Justice Pritam Pal (retd) has demanded a time-bound judicial probe into reasons that led to deaths of three youths during police recruitment drive in a week’s time.

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, July 1

Former Haryana Lokayukta Justice Pritam Pal (retd) has demanded a time-bound judicial probe into reasons that led to deaths of three youths during police recruitment drive in a week’s time.

Pal, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, told The Tribune today that the drive was ill-timed and it should be discontinued immediately.

He contested claims made by the health authorities and the Kurukshetra district administration that deaths were due to the suspected overdose of drugs used for performance enhancement.

Pal said aspiring police personnel were made to run on 5-km track to clear the screening test and they were falling prey to the harsh weather.

“Norms of the police recruitment are to conduct such drives during comfortable climatic conditions of March and October. It is beyond any logic for the Haryana Staff Selection Commission to conduct mass recruitment tests on humid days,” said Pal.

Quoting sources from the Kurukshetra District Bar Association, Pal claimed four youths died and several participants suffered injuries due to slippery and poorly managed race track.

He has decided to launch a mass contact programme to bring justice to the aggrieved families and awareness against drug abuse through his social organisation ‘Haryana Justice Front’.

“It is painful to observe that despite three deaths, the authorities are silent on the issue. Family members of the deceased have rubbished claims that the youths died due to use of drugs. The state government should intervene and order a judicial probe into the circumstances that led to the incident,” he said.

BB Bharti, chairman, Haryana Staff Selection Commission, was unavailable for comments. Meanwhile, the state Food and Drug Department has initiated a drive to check records of chemists in the city. Sources said it was suspected that a section of youths were buying steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to clear their physical test.