Aspirants held protest, demanding age relaxation, rescheduling of examination in Jammu

Over 5.59 lakh job seekers are set to appear for an examination to fill 4,002 police constable vacancies in Jammu and Kashmir, officials announced on Saturday. The exam is scheduled to begin across the Union Territory on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a group of young aspirants staged a protest, demanding age relaxation and the rescheduling of the examination.

Indu Kanwal Chib, Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB), said that a total of 5,59,135 candidates are slated to take the exams for the 4,002 constable posts (Home Department), which will be held on December 1, December 8, and December 22.

During a meeting convened by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to review the preparations for the exam, Chib stated that the constable exams (for executive, armed, and SDRF posts) would take place on December 1 at 856 centres across 20 districts. Of the 2,62,863 candidates scheduled to appear, the highest number, 54,296 candidates, will come from Jammu district.

The exams for constable (telecommunications) positions are set for December 8, with 1,67,609 candidates expected to appear. On December 22, 1,28,663 candidates will take the test for the constable (photographer) posts.

This will be the first time that male and female gazetted officers are assigned as "frisking supervisors" at each centre, and videography will be used during the exams to ensure transparency, an official spokesperson said.

The Chief Secretary emphasized the importance of adequate staffing at exam centres, including the deployment of observers, supervisors, and invigilators, to ensure the smooth conduct of the exams. He urged deputy commissioners to visit as many centres as possible and set up teams under senior district officers to inspect the centres in their districts.

He also reminded officers to ensure strict measures against copying and other malpractices, deploying enough security personnel at each centre. The Chief Secretary inquired about the arrangements for delivering both sensitive and non-sensitive exam materials to the centres, and stressed that he would personally monitor the process until the OMR sheets are sent back to the SSRB by the police department.

In the midst of these preparations, a group of young people who were ineligible to apply for the constable positions due to age limits staged a demonstration, demanding age relaxation and a rescheduling of the exam.

"We had hoped to join the police and serve our nation, but were denied the opportunity due to the administration's delay in holding the examination," said Mehran Anjum Mir, a youth leader and social activist. "We have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor, political parties, and officials for age relaxations, but our pleas have been ignored."

The protesters reiterated their demand for age relaxations for both constable and sub-inspector positions, and called for the rescheduling of the constable exam to provide them with an opportunity to compete.

In addition, the SSRB has announced a recruitment drive for 669 sub-inspectors in the Jammu and Kashmir Police Department. The application process will begin on December 3 and conclude on January 2, 2025.