Agnipath will spoil our careers: J'khand Army aspirants

ranchi: Rohit Kumar Singh is a worried young man. He fears his dreams of carving out a life as a soldier in the Indian Army may well be a chimera once the new Agnipath scheme rolls out.

The son of a fruit seller in Jharia area of Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, Singh has strived for three years and cleared the physical and medical examinations for recruitment in the armed forces.

He was waiting for the written examination, which was pending due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he is worried that his dream of joining the armed forces will be shattered due to the Agnipath scheme.

Under the scheme, youngsters between 17.5 and 23 years of age will be recruited for a period of four years, following which 75 per cent of them will have to take compulsory retirement sans pension while the remainder will continue serving. The selection will be made based on their performance.

"I have cleared physical and medical examinations in 2019 and 2020 respectively. We were told that the written test will be conducted once the COVID-19 situation normalises.

"We were hopeful that the examination will be conducted soon as the pandemic situation is normal now. However, suddenly we see that the government has introduced this new Agnipath scheme, under which all examinations will be conducted," Singh said.

The aspirant said he has prepared for several years for the permanent service commission, and not for contractual employment of only four years.

Singh is not alone in expressing his grievances. He and 10 other aspirants who practice together at Jharia's Lodhna Ground and have qualified for the written examination, face a similar fate.

These aspirants, along with hundreds of others, had staged protests against the Agnipath scheme in different parts of Dhanbad district on Friday. They had also blocked railway tracks, forcing railway authorities to cancel five trains.

Sagar Kumar, another aspirant, said, "We demand rollback of the new scheme as it will not only shatter our dreams of serving the nation but also spoil our careers."

Similar protests were witnessed in Bokaro, Palamu and East Singhbhum. Railway and road traffic were also disrupted in many areas.