Fire Brigade hiring: Protestors lathi-charged

MUMBAI: The Mumbai Fire Brigade’s (MFB) recruitment drive for women at Gopinath Munde ground in Dahisar West, turned ugly as around 350 women started protesting after they were disqualified, some for not meeting minimum height criteria (162 cms) and some for being late. Police had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

Around 5,000 women showed up for MFB’s recruitment drive with 3,318 of them clearing the qualification round. The protestors contented that their height was not measured properly and some even claimed that the process was biased. Fire brigade official said that they have followed the due process.

Twenty-two-year-old Soni Gaikwad from Kalwan in Nashik district trained for one year and reached along with her sister, to participate in the direct recruitment drive. On Friday night, the sisters waited outside the ground with no facility provided for drinking water or toilets. On Saturday, Gaikwad returned to Nashik teary-eyed, as she was turned down at the last moment for failing to meet the minimum height criteria for a placement in fire brigade.

“During the police recruitment drive, my height was recorded as 163 cms, but the MFB turned me away, claiming my height was less than 162 cms – the minimum requirement,” Gaikwad said. Apart from Gaikwad, more than 300 women, who were disqualified in the initial rounds, protested for eight hours outside the ground.

Police officers said that in spite of many warnings, some women tried to jump over the fence and created a ruckus due to which they had to resort to lathi-charge. Some shouted slogans against Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the MFB, accusing them of being unfair and biased.

SATISH BATE Around 350 women protested outside the ground.