Performance enhancing drugs seized at Army recruitment camp in Mathura

AGRA: Large quantities of suspected performance enhancing drugs including Amino acid, termin and testosterone injections and some unidentified white powder pouches were found in bags of candidates at the open army recruitment camp in Mathura on Saturday.
Army officials have also recovered fake rubber stamps of certain district level government functionaries which is suspected to have been misused for certifying fake qualification certificates by some candidates.
However, no action has been taken so far against any of the candidates as the accused haven’t yet been identified. Officials said that while the performance enhancing drugs were found in bags of some candidates, empty vials and used syringes were found strewn in the open areas around the camp.
The army has no mechanism for drug tests to check if the prospective recruits have used the drugs or not. Army officials’ claim that many of the drugs found from the candidates have not been identified as yet as they were found in unlabelled bottles and syringes.
Medical Officer on duty, Dr Rupinder Singh said that “Quacks generally fool these youth and charge them heavy amounts and give the candidates multi-vitamins under the garb of performance enhancers.”
Army Recruitment director, Col. Vijay Kumar admitted that there is no drug test before the run, which is about 1600 meters (400 meters round each). He said that the drugs and other items were seized during frisking that precedes the registration of candidates. He said that the system of recruitment is very transparent and no one can clear it without crossing several layers including fitness test and a thorough medical checkup at a later stage.
In Punjab, however, Army has standardised dope tests for candidates appearing for physical tests at recruitment camps. As part of the standard procedure, each candidate is required to give his blood sample, which is tested on the spot. In Feb 2016, nearly 1,500 youngsters from UP were caught trying to cheat their way into the Indian Army by using performance enhancing drugs, including steroids and opium, at a camp in Mainpuri.
According to experts, in sports, testosterone shots or creams are supposed to be magic bullets that spur athletes to train harder, run or bicycle more quickly, jump higher, swim faster, hit a baseball farther, and so on. Termin injections, a muscle-relaxing agent which increases stamina, were also recovered from the spot.
The recruitment camp is slated to continue till 25 November and around 95,000 youth from six districts including Agra, Aligarh, Firozabad, Mathura, Kasganj, and Hathras of UP have applied for the test.