Raipur
Chaos erupted in the state capital on Tuesday as candidates for the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) 2018 recruitment drive attempted to gherao Home Minister Vijay Sharma’s residence. The protest led to a heated face-off between the aspirants and security personnel, resulting in the police using force to disperse the crowd.
The recruitment process for 1,786 CAF posts began in 2018, leaving approximately 417 candidates on the waiting list. Despite more than 3,000 vacancies currently existing within the CAF, these candidates have not been inducted even after seven years.
For the past one month, the protesters, including women and children, have been camping at the Tuta protest site. This was their fourth attempt to meet the Home Minister to press for their demands. The situation turned tense when the aspirants insisted on a direct audience with Minister Vijay Sharma and refused to leave the premises.
Protesters alleged that the police used high-handed tactics against women and children during the demonstration. “We will not leave until we meet the Home Minister,” stated one of the protesting candidates.
Records indicate that the candidates had previously met Minister Vijay Sharma on two occasions, where they received assurances regarding their appointments. A third attempt at a meeting had been unsuccessful. While some candidates from the 2018 batch have moved on to other careers, a significant number continue to frequent government offices and ministerial bungalows seeking employment.
Police officials eventually cleared the area to restore order. The state government has not issued a fresh statement regarding the status of the waiting list candidates.
