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Agnipath protests: Students, teenagers among detainees in Ludhiana, say cops
According to sources, the investigating teams have found a few messages related to the protest in Ludhiana on the phone of those detained.
Those detained by the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Ludhiana for their alleged involvement in rioting and vandalising the station to register their protest against the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme, don’t have any criminal records and are students and teenagers, officials said.
The GRP held as many as six rioters, identified as Harmanpreet Singh, 18, Manpreet Singh, 17, of Sarabha village, Sukhprit Singh, 20, of Alamgir village, Harmel Singh, 20, and Kuljit Singh, 20, of Moga and Kuljinder Singh, 21, of Ropar.
According to the police, both Harmanpreet and Manpreet took the Class 12 board exams this year.
Kuljit Singh completed Class 12th in 2020 and has been preparing for recruitment to the Indian Armed Forces.
“All of them are students and agitated with the government’s new policy. They don’t have any criminal history. We are now investigating the masterminds who brainwashed or provoked them to indulge in rioting and destroying public property,” said a railway police officer.
Police have seized the phones of the rioters to establish the mastermind behind the protest here.
According to sources, the investigating teams have found a few messages related to the protest in Ludhiana on the phone of those detained. “They were asked to reach Ludhiana to register their protest against the recruitment policy. A few messages in their phones mentioned the protests in Jalandhar too.”
GRP inspector Jaskaran Singh said that since the security forces immediately swung into action, the rioters could not cause major damage. A few of them were also reportedly carrying petrol bottles in their hands, but they were controlled.
Bharat band call by protesters
The Northern Railways have written to all senior police officials, including Punjab director general of police, to provide adequate security to the passengers on June 20, when protesters have given a call for Bharat Bandh.
