A mass protest by around 500 army job aspirants here on Saturday presaged the chances of an intensified Statewide agitation against the Union government’s plan to proceed with the short-term Agnipath recruitment scheme for the armed forces.
The protesters from various northern Kerala districts who took out a march to the Kozhikode railway station in the morning called upon the government to prefer Common Entrance Exam (CEE)-based permanent selections to the Agnipath-mode of temporary recruitment.
Shouting slogans seeking “Justice for army students,” they said the Indian Army CEE had been pending for over one-and-a-half years, denying opportunities for thousands of eligible youths. They also claimed that those who had already cleared the physical tests and medical screenings were yet to get any intimation for attending CEE with the slowed-down procedures.
