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Two Sikh youth die in stampede
during army recruitment drive
WSN Network
AMRITSAR: In a
rather stark image of how unemployment mars
Punjab
youths' future and how callously does the state care about their
well being, two youths were killed and four others injured when
thousands of youth assembled for an army recruitment drive broke
into a stampede.
Tragedy struck
when hundreds of candidates barged in soon after the gate of the
centre was opened.
A large number
of candidates had assembled before the army cantonment area in Khasa
to attend the recruitment process for Jawan posts. But the situation
turned worse when the youths rushed in all at once as soon as the
gate was opened, leading to the mishap, Senior Superintendent of
Police, Amritsar, Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said.
The deceased
were identified as Ranjot Singh, a resident of village Kaler in Tarn
Taran district, and Harjinder Singh of Buttar Kalan village here.
Deputy Commissioner Amritsar Kahan Singh Pannu said he visited the
site and found the army recruitment system too old to be followed in
the present era.
"The boys are
asked to come a day before the recruitment without making any
arrangement for food and shelter and then were asked in the morning
for hard physical tests with empty stomach".
Kashmir Singh,
father of Harjnider Singh, said the entire family was pinning their
hope on his son and his untimely death was the worst tragedy for
them.
The other victim
Ranjot Singh had lost his father long before and family was already
struggling hard for making both ends meet, family members said.
There was no word about any help to the bereaved families, and no
word of apology from the state government.
3
December 2008
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