The Army Recruitment Camp at Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh saw an influx of people on November 20. The surge in the number of aspirants wanting to join the Territorial Army resulted in huge crowding and lathi charge at the venue. Noting the stampede-like situation as over 20,000 youths gathered during the recruitment drive, authorities resorted to charging sticks to handle the crowd.
Visuals from the Army Recruitment camp in Pithoragarh have surfaced online, showing thousands of aspirants flooding the premises.
Watch video
Army aspirants flood roads of Uttarakhand
In the video, we could see a huge rush flooding the camp. The roads were packed with people for metres-long. While some stood on the raised hilly terrain, others flooded the road. These thousands of army aspirants reportedly reached the recruitment camp with their luggage and documents but weren't able to secure a proper accommodation, leading them to fill the roads.
Local media reports quoted these aspirants and alleged about not insufficient accommodation and facilities provided to them. It was reported that they stood there for hours together with the lack of food and transportation. However, these claims were denied by the authorities.
While it is noted that recruitment in the Indian Armed Forces often witness a massive number of aspirants wanting to enroll and serve the nation sooner, it is being said that the unexpectedly exceeding numbers at Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh could have been due to the postponement of the Territorial Army recruitment in Bihar's Danapur.
More about Territorial Army
The establishment of the Territorial Army can be traced back when the Territorial Army Act was enacted on Aug 18, 1948, however, its genesis is dated to the first war of Independence in 1857. According to the official website, the Territorial Army has around 50,000 personnel, comprising 65 Departmental and Non Departmental units spread across the country.
