Rajasthan DGP sets example for young cops

Rajasthan director general of police Harish Chandra Meena must be among the fittest police chiefs in the country.

And he proved it to a critical state media recently when he was slammed for demanding that all new recruits into the state’s police force be selected only if they can run 10 km in an hour.

Unfortunately, many aspirants were unequal to the task, with nearly 70 fainting in the effort and a 23-year-old candidate dying in Bikaner.

So, Meena came under flak from the media. But instead of backtracking, the 56-year-old police chief ran 10 km in 47 minutes and wondered why young men wanting to join the police force shouldn’t be able to run the distance in an hour.

After his run in Udaipur on July 7, Meena gave a repeat performance in Kota 10 days later, completing the run in 51 minutes.

“It was said the run was not doable and candidates would not be able to finish the test. I thought the best reply was to do it myself,” said Meena.

“I wanted to give the message that if I can do it, why not young people. For police personnel, image and physical appearance matter, so they should be fit,” the DGP told Hindustan Times.

The police recruitment exam is currently being held in 10 centres across the state. The physical tests started on June 20.