Stampede-Like Situation In Hyderabad’s Saroornagar Stadium As Thousands Turn Up For 150 Jobs

Hyderabad: A stampede-like situation unfolded at Saroornagar Stadium in Hyderabad on August 8 as thousands of unemployed youth turned up for the physical tests conducted by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) for just 150 contract-based vacancies. The massive turnout resulted in severe overcrowding and panic at the venue, with police personnel deploying barricades and taking measures to control the crowd.

Police also resorted to using batons to control an unruly crowd of jobseekers after the situation spiralled out of control at the stadium on Saturday. The large gathering of aspirants had turned chaotic as candidates arrived in huge numbers for the HYDRAA recruitment drive.

Crowd gathers at stadium

A video shared by Surya Reddy on X showed a massive gathering of job aspirants at the stadium, with hundreds of candidates seen packed together as they waited to participate in the recruitment process. The visuals showed the extent of the crowd that had gathered for the limited number of vacancies and the difficulties faced by authorities in managing the aspirants.

According to The Hans India, a large number of job seekers turned up for the recruitment test, resulting in a huge crowd at the venue. The aspirants reportedly expressed anger over the lack of proper arrangements for those waiting to participate in the recruitment process.

Aspirants raise concerns

The job seekers, as reported by The Hans India, said they had to stand in long queues and alleged that adequate facilities had not been arranged for them. They also claimed that drinking water was not available for the candidates waiting at the venue.

Several aspirants reportedly said they had travelled from different districts with hopes of securing a government job. The situation became tense amid the huge gathering, following which police personnel intervened to control the crowd and cool down the situation.

Token system introduced

As per the media reports, candidates were being issued tokens for the HYDRAA recruitment process and were being asked to report on the date and time mentioned on their respective tokens. The token system appeared to be aimed at managing the large number of candidates and avoiding further overcrowding at the venue.

Details of HYDRAA recruitment

As per the HYDRAA recruitment notification, applications were invited from eligible candidates for 150 posts, comprising 100 DRF Assistant vacancies and 50 Heavy Vehicle Driver vacancies. Both positions are being filled on a contract basis. Candidates applying for the posts must be Class 10/SSC pass, while the maximum permissible age is 35 years.

The selection process is based entirely on a physical test, with no written examination mentioned in the notification. Candidates are required to complete an 800-metre run within 2 minutes 50 seconds (170 seconds), a 100-metre run within 15 seconds, a 4-metre long jump and a 6-metre shot put using a 7.2-kg shot.

Physical tests underway

The physical tests are scheduled for August 8 and August 9, starting from 5:00 AM, at Saroornagar Stadium, Hyderabad.

The recruitment drive witnessed an overwhelming response, with reportedly several thousand unemployed youth arriving at the stadium in the early hours for the 150 available posts. The massive crowd led to a chaotic situation at the venue, prompting police intervention and the introduction of a token-based system to regulate the candidates.