Patna/Muzaffarpur, March 1: Patna High Court today sought to know from the defence secretary under what circumstances the army asked examinees to strip to their underwear for a recruitment test.
The court directed the defence official to submit a detailed reply, including the modalities of conducting the examination, before the next date of hearing of the case, April 5.
The division bench of acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh issued the directive after taking suo motu cognisance of the case. Patna High Court lawyer Rajesh Kumar Singh brought the matter to the notice of the court on Monday, showing photographs from some newspapers that showed the examinees writing the test wearing only underwear.
The Indian Army had conducted the examination on Sunday (February 28) at the Chakkar Maidan in Muzaffarpur, around 70km north of Patna. The recruitments were for 70 posts and 1,159 candidates sat for the test, including 775 candidates in general duty category, 211 in clerical and 173 in technical.
Army personnel took the extra measure to ensure the examinees do not cheat - images of parents perched on school windows, passing chits to their wards during matriculation exams in Vaishali district last year are still fresh.
Mukesh Kumar (22), a resident of Malighat locality in Muzaffarpur town, got the shock of his life when he had to virtually strip in front over around 1,159 aspirants who had turned up to sit for the hour-long written test, conducted in the open.
Shatrughan Kumar (21) of Riga in Sitamarhi district thought of backing out, but the need for a job outweighed the humiliation and he did what the others did. "Had I not been in dire need of the job, I would never have obeyed them," he said.
Many more are cursing the army for the strange diktat but are keeping mum for fear of jeopardising their chances of landing the job. "It is tough to get a government job. Whatever happened on Sunday is history. I am more concerned about my future," said another examinee, from East Champaran district.
Army personnel seemed nonchalant. "What is the problem with the press," asked Colonel B. S. Godhara of Muzaffarpur Army Centre. "None of the examinees complained. We did this to ensure the exams are fair."?
Countered with the question of human rights, the colonel shot back: "What human rights? I don't think there has been any violation of human rights. Please don't make an issue out of nothing. The weather was good and we conducted the test in an hour."
