Fire and Emergency Services aspirants stage protest outside Assembly

Srinagar, Oct 28: Scores of aspirants who had applied for several posts in the Fire and Emergency Services Department staged a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly in Srinagar on Tuesday, demanding action in what they alleged as “recruitment fraud.”

The protesting candidates raised slogans against the administration, accusing it of failing to deliver on repeated assurances. They alleged that despite multiple inquiries and public commitments, no substantial action has been taken to punish those responsible for the alleged manipulation of recruitment lists.

“We have been protesting for the past 12 years, yet justice continues to elude us. Many of us have now crossed the upper age limit and lost all hope of securing government employment. This is not just fraud, it is a betrayal of an entire generation of aspirants,” one of the protestors told the news agency Kashmir News Trust.

The aspirants alleged that the “recruitment process in the Fire and Emergency Services Department has remained tainted by allegations of favoritism and list tampering. Undeserving candidates were accommodated through corrupt practices, while genuine applicants were sidelined.

Today’s protest is being staged to draw the attention of lawmakers who are participating in assembly proceedings. They should discuss the recruitment scam on the floor of the house,” another protestor said.

The protesters demanded that the government constitute an independent inquiry committee or refer the case to an anti-corruption agency to ensure transparency and accountability. “Public confidence in the recruitment system would remain broken until those involved in the alleged scam are brought to justice,” they said.