Home Guard aspirant dies during physical test; 3rd death in a week in UP

MEERUT: A 27-year-old Home Guard aspirant from Bareilly died after collapsing during a physical efficiency test (PET) at the 9th Battalion PAC ground in Moradabad on Friday, marking the third death in the ongoing recruitment drive in western Uttar Pradesh within a week.Shivam Yadav, a resident of Bareilly city, fell unconscious about 50m from the finish line while running the 12th and final lap of the mandatory 4.8-km race. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, officials said.His father, Vinod Yadav, said he reached the ground after learning that his son’s condition had deteriorated mid-race but was stopped at the gate by police personnel and alleged that he was not allowed inside despite repeated pleas. “By the time I was let in, Shivam had already collapsed,” he said.Shivam’s wife, Komal, said the family had not imagined that the test would cost him his life. The couple had been married for five years and have a toddler daughter.A BTech and BEd graduate who had also cleared the UP-Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), Shivam ran a coaching centre. He had cleared the preliminary and main examinations for railway loco pilot recruitment and was awaiting the results of the Lekhpal and Railway Group D examinations, his family said.He is survived by his parents, wife, daughter and three brothers.In Meerut, two other aspirants died in a similar fashion earlier this week. Shamli resident Ankuj Malik, 39, collapsed on Tuesday after his condition deteriorated following the PET at Kailash Prakash Sports Stadium. Another aspirant, Tarun Kumar, also died this week after falling ill during the run. All three candidates were suspected to have died of cardiac arrest.Meanwhile, two candidates at Bareilly’s Dorilal Stadium — Surjeet Singh and Yuvraj — were hospitalised on Saturday after one collapsed and the other sustained a leg injury, officials said.Neither Moradabad nor Meerut police have shared any details in the three cases. Attempts to reach Moradabad SSP Satpal Antil and Meerut SSP BBGTS Murthy for comment were unsuccessful.Stay updated with the latest Bareilly news. Download the TOI App.