Tense moments after suicide threat by PSC rank-holders

November 28, 2014 01:09 pm | Updated 01:09 pm IST - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The three PSC rank-holders who threatened to commit suicide from top of a multistorey building opposite the Secretariat on Thursday. Photo: S. Gopakumar

The three PSC rank-holders who threatened to commit suicide from top of a multistorey building opposite the Secretariat on Thursday. Photo: S. Gopakumar

A suicide threat by rank-holders in the Public Service Commission’s list for recruitment to the India Reserve Battalion’s Commando wing had the police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel on their toes for nearly three hours on Thursday.

The threat by three youngsters that they would jump from atop the Statue Tower opposite the Secretariat was an extension of the four-day strike by a group of rank-holders in front of the Secretariat. According to the protestors, around 1.25 lakh persons had applied when tests to the Commando wing of the IR Battalion, formed in 2010, were conducted. Of these, only 999 had managed to pass strenuous tests like five-km run in 24 minutes and other multi-level fitness examinations. So far, only 442 of these got postings. The rest, despite several requests made to the State and Central governments, were still jobless, they said, pointing out that the rank list would expire on December 22. This, they said, had prompted them for the agitation four days back, and the threat of the extreme step on Thursday.

The trio – hailing from Wayanad, Kozhikode and Ernakulam – had climbed atop the five-storeyed building after 11.30 a.m. and came down only around 2.30 p.m., after talks held with other members of their group by Additional District Magistrate V.R. Vinod, Assistant Commissioner (Cantonment) Reji Jacob, ended with the assurance of further talks with District Collector Biju Prabhakar at 11 a.m. on Friday.

The three hours that the trio spent on top of the building saw frenzied action below, with a crowd gathering and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel struggling to get together equipment in case they went ahead with their threat. With no nets available, the precaution taken by the Fire and Rescue Services personnel was with two rubber mattresses, that too, reportedly borrowed from the Sports Council.

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