Ghaziabad: Two candidates appearing for the physical round of the UP Police constable recruitment drive, underway at the 47th Battalion PAC ground in Govindpuram from Oct 3, collapsed and died in hospital this week.On Tuesday, Vivek Kumar (23) of Shamli collapsed while running during the physical test and was declared dead at Joint District Hospital in Sanjay Nagar. On Monday, 27-year-old Atul Kumar from Mathura fainted during the run and was taken to Joint District Hospital. He was later referred to Safdarjung Hospital but died during treatment. While police suspect the two candidates suffered a heart attack, their bodies have been sent for autopsy and the reports are awaited.Vivek’s father, Balendra Rana, said officials conducting the recruitment had told them that his son had completed six of the nine rounds when he lost consciousness and collapsed. “When he regained consciousness, he stood up while leaning onto a pole and again started to run. He again stumbled and collapsed to the ground,” Rana said, adding that doctors cited heart failure as the cause of his death.According to his family, Vivek had scored 266 marks in the police recruitment exam. He had left home on Monday morning with a cousin, booked a hotel room in Ghaziabad and reached the ground to take the physical test on Tuesday morning. “Vivek was my only son. He was a volleyball player and trained regularly at Gorakhpur Sports College. I am a farmer and have 15 bighas of land. All I wanted was to see my son in a police uniform,” he said.DCP (headquarters) Balwant Kumar Chaudhary told TOI that for the constable recruitment exam, the two candidates had to complete a 4.8km run. “Male applicants have to complete a 4.8-kilometre run within 24 minutes, while female applicants must complete 2.4 kilometres within 14 minutes. Candidates failing to finish within the stipulated time are disqualified,” the DCP said. The physical tests precede the medical examinations.According to officials, on each day of the seven-day drive, 875 candidates were called in around 5 am for the physical tests, which are over by 8 am. “Male candidates are divided into batches and, after formalities, their chest and height are measured before they take the physical test. Only height and weight are measured for women candidates,” the DCP said.
