Over 200 army aspirants in Jharkhand capital Ranchi also joined protests by their counterparts in Bihar and other states against the Agnipath recruitment on Thursday, a day after the Centre announced the short-term recruitment plan to enlist young citizens into the armed force.

The protesters, most of whom had applied for army recruitment examinations in three categories, general duty (GD), clerk and tradesman and had also received admit cards for their examinations which has now been postponed threatened to move Jharkhand High Court if the central government does not takes back the decision.

“It was a spontaneous decision and most of them are from different districts across Jharkhand. We will not let the central government play with our career.

“We submitted the application and the date of exams were postponed twice in March and again in May and now we hear about this new scheme. We are deliberating with similar aspirants and might file a petition with the High Court,” said Vivek Singh, 23, a native of Leslieganj, Palamau.

The aspirants thronged the Army Recruitment Office at Doranda near the overbridge along Main Road around 10am and as the number increased and they sat on dharna and the stretch was blocked for traffic.

The blockade continued for nearly two hours with youths holding placards demanding reinstatement of the old recruitment process before the Ranchi police persuaded the aspirants to clear the road as prohibitory order under Section 144 of the CrPc at around noon.

“We understand their grievances and have not detained any one for violation of prohibitory orders which has been clamped since Friday violence on this stretch. The aspirants cleared the jam by themselves after we warned them of action,” said Chutia police station officer-in-charge, Venkatesh Kumar.

“We will get a job for only four years, after that what will be our future. It is more or less like a contract job which would throw our job security in lurch,” said Binay Kumar, another aspirant from Latehar. A section of the protesters also went and protested near the Ranchi railway station.

Significantly, under the Agnipath scheme under which in the first year youths will be kept at a monthly pay of Rs 30,000 with the facility of EPF/PF and by the fourth year their monthly salary will be Rs 40,000.