One dead, eight in hospital after Indian physical fitness test
An Indian forest guard rides an on elephant as he heads for a patrol in Marionbarie forest of Kurseong sub-division area, some 30 kms from Siliguri, on July 31, 2011. Indian forest officials are on the search for an injured wild elephant in the India-Nepal border area after its herd was attacked by villagers July 29 in Nepal’s Jhapa district, some 9 kilometres from the border.
You think the U.S. job market is tough? Welcome to India.
This week, seven job applicants had to be hospitalized and one died on the spot at a recruitment drive for a lowly position as a forest guard in Maharashtra, which required applicants to complete a 25-kilometer (men) or 14-kilometer run (women), the Indian Express reported.
According to the report, competition was tough, as more than 100,000 candidates turned up for 1,175 jobs.
Of the 9,500 aspirants who appeared for 85 posts in Yavatmal division over Monday and Tuesday, several collapsed, eight were admitted in hospital, and on Tuesday afternoon, a 23-year-old died, the Express said.
The paper quoted Yavatmal Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) Devendra Kumar as saying, “We take undertakings from candidates that they will run at their own risk. We also make it clear in the advertisement that only those fit to undertake such tests must apply.”
There were reports of candidates collapsing during the physical fitness test in other cities too, the paper said.