Excise dept dispute over seniority resulted in PSC list expiry

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Kozhikode: A dispute in the Excise Department over seniority denied Anu a job despite being ranked 77 in the PSC list, leading to his suicide.
The top 72 people from the rank list for the Thiruvananthapuram district have been recommended for appointment as civil excise officers.
Had the more than 200 blocked vacancies been reported in time, Anu, a native of Karaikkonam in Thiruvananthapuram, would have got a job as he would been among the next five from the rank list to be recommended for appointment.
Job candidates alleged that the state Excise Minister, who is also the Labor Minister, and the government are also be blamed for Anu’s death as they failed to intervene and resolve employee dispute in time. They sad they had repeatedly approached the government and the Excise Minister seeking immediate action to resolve the dispute between the excise employees.
Last April, Minister TP Ramakrishnan had assured the candidates that the court cases related to promotions would be settled soon and that filling of vacancies according to the rank list would be expedited. But nothing has happened since then, the job candidates allege.
Meanwhile, 22 civil excise officer vacancies were set aside for appointment of dependents through the cell under the Chief Minister. But not a single application has been received for these vacancies yet. These have been set aside to be given to dependents if someone dies in future. The move was in defiance of even the Supreme Court ruling that dependent appointment is not a reservation.
Protests galore
Vellarada (Thiruvananthapuram): Opposition youth organisations led a statewide protest after Anu committed suicide disgruntled by the cancellation of the PSC rank list. The police blocked the BJP's march to the chief minister’s official residence with Anu’s body, even as protests intensified in some parts of the state.
S Anu (28), of Puthenveettil, Poornavilakam, Thattittambalam in Karakonam, was found hanging from the fan in the bedroom of his house on Sunday morning. A suicide note said he was ending his life due to unemployment.
Anu, a post-graduate, had secured the 77th in the civil excise officer rank list of the PSC. The list, which was due to expire in April, was extended to June. However, the COVID-19 pandemic affected appointments. The list expired on June 19. This devastated Anu mentally, say relatives. He is survived by father Sukumaran Nair, a hotel employee, mother Devaki and brother Manu. His last rites have been conducted.
When the body was being taken to the house in the evening on Sunday after the post-mortem at the Medical College Hospital, the vehicle was diverted to Cliff House, the chief minister’s official residence, by BJP activists. The police stopped the BJP activists, led by district president V V Rajesh, at the Devaswom Board junction. The protesters then removed the body from the vehicle, kept it on the road and blocked traffic.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran visited Anu's residence.
Youth Congress state president Shafi Parampil, MLA, said that a hunger strike will be held at the PSC headquarters on Monday to protest against the ‘cheating’ of youth. The Federation of Various PSC Rank Holders Association also announced that they will protest by giving up food on Monday.
Rank list was not cancelled, it expired: PSC
Thiruvananthapuram: The PSC has expressed grief over death of Anu.
The post of Civil Excise Officer was changed to a trainee’s post as per a 2016 order and, accordingly, the PSC rank list had a tenure of one year, the PSC said in a press release.
The rank list, which became effective on April 8, 2019, was supposed to end on April 7 this year, but it was included among those lists whose validity was extended because of the COVID pandemic. The list’s validity ended on June 19.
The claim that the rank list was cancelled is not correct, the PSC said. During its validity period, 72 candidates were recommended for appointment. This is higher than the average of 50 people recommended for appointment to the post every year, the PSC press release said.
(Note: Suicide is not a solution to anything. Seek the help of a mental health professional to overcome problems. Helpline number: 1056, 0471-2552056).