M A I N   N E W S

IRB recruitments raise hackles
Centre demands transparency
K.G. Dutt

Karnal, June 14
The Union Government has taken strong exception to the procedure of recruitment adopted by the Haryana Government for raising the India Reserve Battalion for Haryana. The training of the first India Reserve Battalion, which was sanctioned by the Union Government for Haryana, was started last week at the newly started training and recruitment centre at Gurgaon.

Mr L.K. Advani, Union Home Minister, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, and the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami, were present at the inauguration ceremony of the training centre.

Although the Central Government has not attributed any motives like monetary considerations in recruitment to the battalion, yet it has found numerous lacunae in recruitment. Investigations show that procedural wrongs committed by the Haryana Recruitment Committee were brought to the notice of Mr Advani. It is further learnt that Mr Advani directed the Union Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pandey, to ensure that recruitments to the India Reserve Battalion in other states should be made more transparent.

It may be added here that the Union Government has decided to raise one or more India Reserve Battalion in each state of the country. Such battalions will be given training in modern weaponry to meet any contingency and tackle law and order problems in the states. The Union Government will bear the expenditure of raising the battalions, training of policemen and salaries as well as equipments to be provided to the constabulary and officials. However, the overall control of the India Reserve Battalions will vest in the state government. But the Centre will have the power to deploy the India Reserve Battalions anywhere on payment to the states.

Investigations further show that Haryana has constituted an eight-member board headed by Mr S.S. Deswal, DIG Railways (Haryana), for recruitment to the battalion. The Centre has deputed Mr I.S. Gill, DIG, CRPF (Bhopal), to assist the board in recruiting policemen to the battalion. The recruitment took place at four centres in the state.

After receiving some complaints, the Union Home Ministry had asked its nominee to submit a detailed report about the procedure adopted for recruitment. The Central Government nominee is reported to have told the Union Home Ministry that the composition of the board, constituted by Haryana, included one DIG, two SPs, four DSPs and 20 Subordinate Officers. The board was divided into four groups headed by a DSP each. Mr Gill is learnt to have pointed out that around one thousand candidates were called each day for physical measurements.

In his report, he is reported to have stated that after physical measurements at four range headquarters viz Hisar, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Ambala, the Physical Efficiency Test (PET) was started at each of the centres for those candidates who had qualified in physical measurements. He has pointed out that during PET, no marks were allotted at the completion of races, long jump etc. He has said that the result cards prepared after PET were kept by the Chairman in his personal custody. The Chairman had informed the Central Member that marks would be allotted only on completion of PET at all four centres. He had also said that roll number wise proceedings of those who had qualified in PET were not prepared on the ground that marks were to be allotted only on completion of PET at all four centres. He had regretted that the daily proceedings of recruitment and tests did not provide any detail about who had qualified or failed in PET. It was done as per the system followed for recruitment in the Haryana Police.

The Ministry of Home Affairs feels that the recruitment to the India Reserve Battalion in Haryana does not appear to be “just and fair”. It is being felt that there was every scope of manipulation at the final stage of recruitment. It has been suggested that the Haryana Government should be asked to make the selection process transparent and all members of the selection board should know about the marks obtained by each candidate on the same day in order to eliminate any scope for manipulations.

Official sources in the Union Home Ministry told The Tribune that it was perturbed over the recruitment procedure followed in Haryana. Such a procedure provided ample opportunities to the powers that be to recruit their own men. The possibility of extraneous considerations in such recruitments could also not be ruled out. The matter of recruitment has gained notoriety after the exposure of the Ravi Sidhu case in Punjab.