Jammu, Mar 8 (IANS): Several job aspirants were detained by police on Wednesday during protests in J&K's winter capital Jammu against the engagement of an allegedly black-listed company for recruitment process by J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB).

Aspirants for government jobs gathered in Dogra Chowk of the city and raised slogans against the JKSSB alleging that it had engaged black-listed APTECH company for the recruitment process.

Police undertook a baton charge to disperse the protesters several of whom were bundled in police vehicles and detained.

Commenting on the protests by the job aspirants, a JKSSB official said that there was no justification for the protest as the matter with regard to the hiring of APTECH is sub-judice.

The official contended that the company was hired as per the Central and J&K government guidelines as it has already completed the blacklisting period of three years in May last year.

"When we are selecting a company for conducting a written examination, we also employ checks and balances to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness in the selection. We are following a procedure which is matching the standards of major national level recruitment agencies," the official said.

The selection process of sub-inspectors of police in the UT had to be cancelled after it came to light that the question papers had been leaked and sold at exorbitant price.

Candidates from a particular area and some belonging to the same family had managed very high marks in that process became of their access to the leaked question papers.