CPO rank list strike; hope turned to ashes 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The women who qualified for the CPO rank list held on to their hall tickets dearly, but last night at 11:59 PM, the list expired. Many of them burned their tickets with tears, feeling their hopes vanish. Out of 967 candidates on the list, only 259 had received appointment recommendations. Since April 2, 45 more candidates, including three who were striking, have been issued advice memos. The future of the rest remains uncertain.

The candidates shared their painful experiences when they approached political leaders. They said that a senior leader told them that even if extreme actions like suicide would not change the party’s stance. Some threatened us with legal action if the individual who said that is named. A youth leader and an MP suggested they try for jobs in the Railway Protection Force (RPF). One minister told them to sell fish to survive. Even respected leaders like P.K. Sreemathy criticized the candidates, calling them bad-tempered. The candidates want to ask the minister to remember that she too have children.

The Kerala Council of Churches (KCC) has stepped in to help by offering jobs to 50 struggling candidates. These jobs come with the starting salary of a CPO until better opportunities arise.

The strike began on April 2, just before the rank list deadline. The candidates protested in several ways: a demonstration was held at Kallupp on April 6; burning camphor and similar protests between April 7 and 13, fasting without returning home on Vishu day, and lying in coffins on April 17. Despite these efforts, the government’s position has not changed.