Meghalaya: HYC demands withdrawal of police recruitment ad over age limit reduction

Shillong: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has called on the Meghalaya government to scrap a recently issued advertisement for police vacancies, arguing that the lowered age limit for applicants disadvantages unemployed youth.

In a letter to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem expressed disapproval of the age criteria set by the Inspector General of Police.

The advertisement, published on March 6th, restricts applications for constable and firefighter positions to individuals between 18 and 21 years old, with a five-year age relaxation for Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates (maximum age limit of 26).

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Synrem contends that this reduced age limit unfairly restricts opportunities for many unemployed young people in the state.

He points out that other Indian states offer an upper age limit exceeding 30 years for ST/SC candidates applying for similar positions.

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"We fail to understand the reason behind this restriction, especially considering that Meghalaya has a majority ST population," Synrem stated.

He further argues that the COVID-19 pandemic and other unforeseen circumstances have caused a two to three-year delay in recruitment processes.