Protesting youths seek pending recruitments to defence forces, detained

New Delhi, February 6

A group of youths on Tuesday gathered outside the residence of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar in Delhi, demanding long-awaited recruitment of candidates selected in the defence forces prior to the introduction of Agnipath scheme.

The protesters, joined by the ex-servicemen department of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC), were detained by the police. The protest, which originated from a three-day demonstration at Jantar Mantar, escalated as the youths took their grievances to the vicinity of the Vice-President’s residence in a bid to have their demands heard.

Expressing their singular demand, the protesters emphasised the urgent need for the pending recruitment of candidates selected for the Army and Air Force. They said that approximately 1.5 lakh candidates for the Army and 7,000 for the Air Force have been awaiting their final written exams and results for the past three years. The delays were initially attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and later compounded by the implementation of the Agnipath Scheme.