DERGAON, June 16 � The postponement of a recruitment rally of the Forest Department, scheduled to be held here from Monday, led to a ruckus as the candidates who came for it registered a strong protest against the development.
According to sources, the rally was meant to recruit candidates for the 3rd Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) in the State. For candidates from upper Assam, the venue was the Police Training Complex here. A large number of candidates had arrived on Sunday evening itself. But they were later told that the rally had been postponed, and that the new date would be announced in due course of time.
Following this, hundreds of candidates gheraoed the Dergaon Forest Beat Office and demanded compensation as they had been summoned to the recruitment rally. The Dergaon Police had to control the uproar resulting from this. Some more candidates arrived here on Monday morning and they, too, gathered at the Forest office.
�I sold a cow to attend the rally,� Manas Bora, a candidate from Doomdooma, said. �My mother is sick and I came here after selling a sanchi (agarwood) tree,� Kalyan Saikia, a candidate from Sivasagar, added.
On the other hand, when contacted, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Golaghat Forest Division, Dr Muthukumaravel told this correspondent that the rally had been postponed due to the current flood and disruption of road connectivity. This was notified in the print and electronic media. But the candidates complained that they had no prior information about the postponement of the recruitment rally.
