Height of Punjab Police's recruitment campaign!

CHANDIGARH: Do you become a better policeman just because you are six feet tall? At least the Punjab Police seems to think so. The department has moved an inch ahead and implemented the proposal to give 15 out of 30 marks for just height in the selection of 7,416 constables.
Such is the importance on height that every additional inch above 5 feet 7 inches till 6 feet and above would earn a male candidate an additional mark.
The height criterion for women would start with 10 marks at 5 feet 3 inches and go on till 5 feet 8 inches with the maximum marks of 15.
Overall, 6,252 men and 1,164 women would be recruited in what is being seen as part of a poll sop by the Punjab government ahead of the 2017 election. Of these, 2,751 would be absorbed in the districts and 2,750 would be inducted into Punjab Armed Police (PAP).
Many candidates in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Mohali are dubbing this criterion discriminatory as they feel that “short stature is controlled by genes“. This despite the fact that Punjab is the land of the Great Khali where many men tower over six feet. A retired DGP told TOI that this is a lame excuse to recruit more people which will produce sub-standard cops. The focus should have been on presence of mind and ability to react quickly , he added.
The criterion was announced as part of the standing order by Punjab Police chief Suresh Arora for the recruitment which began on July 27. Besides height, the other 15 marks are given for marks scored in the class XII exam. Every 10% jump above the minimum 40% scored in class XII exam would earn an additional mark. Those with 80% marks would receive the maximum 15 marks in both genders.
Though Punjab Police had also included four separate marks for the interview and personality test, this was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court recently where the case is being heard.
Arora was not available for comment. A senior Punjab Police official told TOI that the height criterion was only to ensure that “those with poor education record do not fail the overall test“. “The aspect of height comes in only after the endurance test.“
As part of the physical test, every male applicant would every male applicant would have to clear 1,600 meters running in 6 minutes 30 seconds, 3.8 meters in long jump and 1.1 metres high jump. For women, the corresponding figures are 800 metres running in four minutes, 3-meter long jump and 0.95-metre high jump.