Protests fail to quell enthusiasm, 13,000 try out for ‘Agniveer’ in first Kerala leg

The Centre’s Agniveer scheme has found thousands of takers in Kerala, in spite of the initial protests and apprehensions.

Army aspirants taking part in a run conducted as part of the Agniveer recruitment rally in Kozhikode | Express

KOZHIKODE: The Centre’s Agniveer scheme has found thousands of takers in Kerala, in spite of the initial protests and apprehensions. In just a week, more than 13,000 out of 28,000 candidates who registered for the scheme have taken part in the recruitment rally in Kozhikode, which began on October 1 and ends on October 10.

This is the first Agniveer recruitment drive in Kerala. As many as 705 candidates have been shortlisted in first phase. The scheme, which proposes to recruit youth in the armed forces for four years, had fuelled protests across the country, including in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in Kerala. The main issue raised by the youth was lack of job security.

The scheme had also received support in Kerala with some Muslim organisations, including the Kerala Muslim Jamaath Federation, asking youth from the community to make use of it. A few Muslim organisations had even set up help-desks to aid candidates.

The recruitment officers said the protests didn’t hamper participation. “Based on figures from Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram army recruitment offices, we can confirm that the protests did not affect participation,” Ramesh P, ADG, Headquarters Recruiting Zone Bangalore (HRZB), told reporters in Kozhikode on Friday.

Agniveer: No place for those part of protests

Ramesh said the number of applicants was almost equal to what was seen in recruitment rallies in previous years. He said results of 624 candidates have been recommended for re-examination in Kozhikode. He also said aspirants from Kerala always perform well in the common entrance test.

On the action against aspirants who had taken part in anti-Agniveer protests, Ramesh said, “During the initial stage, all were asked to fill an affidavit saying they had not taken part in any such stir. With the help of the local police, we will conduct detailed verification of the candidate’s documents, including the affidavits, once the merit list is prepared. Any candidate who was found to have taken part in the protests will be disqualified.”

The recruitment rally in Kozhikode, meant for aspirants from Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad and Thrissur, is the third of six under the HRZB which somprises Karnataka. Kerala, Puducherry and Lakshadweep. The first two rallies were held in Karnataka.