Army Recruitment: A flag in hand, Suresh Bhichar ran to inspire youth enthusiasm for recruitment.
In a display of superhuman grit, a young man who wishes to join the Indian Army ran 350 km from Rajasthan to New Delhi to demonstrate his eagerness to enter the force, amid protests in the capital by aspirants over delays in defence recruitment.
A flag in hand, Suresh Bhichar, a 24-year-old from Rajasthan's Nagaur district, was seen running steadily in a grueling 50-hour run from Sikar to New Delhi.
"I'm passionate about joining the Indian Army. Recruitment hasn't been taking place for 2 years and the youth of Nagaur, Sikar and Jhunjhunu are starting to get old," said Mr Bhichar.
"I have come running to Delhi to boost the enthusiasm of our country's youth," he added.
Mr Bhichar planned to attend a demonstration in Delhi during his visit, as a crowd of approximately thousand prospective army candidates gathered at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to protest against the delay in the recruitment process for the armed forces.
Several demonstrators said that there has been no recruitment in the Army, Air Force and Navy for non-officer posts for the past two years, a setback that is severely affecting many of their careers. Some aspirants noted that the delay in army recruitment has proved particularly harrowing for older candidates, who may not meet the age eligibility criteria if they aren't considered for recruitment soon.