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Agnipath stir rages on: Over 300 trains hit, many set ablaze; man dies in Telangana
Agnipath protests: The Railways said more than 200 trains have so far been cancelled in the wake of the protests. adding the total number of trains affected so far stands at 340. Several students' organisations called a bandh in Bihar on Saturday. The RJD has extended support to the bandh.
Protests by armed forces aspirants against the Centre's military recruitment scheme ‘Agnipath’ intensified on Friday in several parts across the country. Incidents of violence were reported from more than 10 states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Telangana, West Bengal and Rajasthan.
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On Friday, the agitation against the scheme saw one person succumbing to his injuries in Telangana's Secunderabad.
The Agnipath scheme was unveiled to recruit people between the age group of 17.5 and 21 years into the military service of their choice for four years. However, amid widespread agitation, the Centre on Thursday night extended the upper age limit to 23 years – a waiver to be applicable only for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022.
Here are the latest updates on the raging protests over the Centre’s latest recruitment model:
> Railways officials said coaches of at least seven trains have so far been set ablaze by protestors. Coaches of three running trains in the East-Central Railway and one empty rake in Kulharia, in the same zone, were damaged by protestors, they added. The Railways said 340 trains have been affected, while another 234 trains cancelled due to the nationwide protests against the scheme.
> Several students' organisations, including CPI-ML (Liberation)-linked AISA, called a state-wide bandh in Bihar on Saturday. The opposition, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has extended support to the bandh.
> In Uttar Pradesh, protesters vandalised trains, damaged buses and torched a police outpost, said police, adding protests took place at 17 places across the state, including Ballia, Aligarh, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Varanasi. Protesters set a rail coach on fire in Ballia, where police lobbed teargas shells to disperse them and took 100 people in custody.
> The Delhi Police said a few people came on the Wazirabad road near the Khas Flyover towards Bhajanpura in protest against the Agnipath scheme, and tried to block traffic. “In the process, the windscreen of a minibus was damaged as someone from the gathering pelted stones towards the bus,” police said, adding a case has been registered against the miscreants.
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> Metro travel in the national capital was also disrupted with members of the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA) staging demonstrations, leading to closure of entry and exit gates of some stations.
> In neighbouring Haryana, violent protests were seen in Hisar, Narnaul, Fatehabad and Jhajjar. In Gurugram, authorities have barred gatherings of over four people. Internet services suspended in Mahendragarh district for 24 hours.
> In Telangana capital Hyderabad, metro rail services were temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure amid protests in the city. At least one person died earlier in the day at the Secunderabad railway station after police opened fire to control a mob. “The general railway police (GRP) forces were forced to open fire at the mob after lathi-charge and tear gas shells failed to bring the protests under control,” a senior official told Hindustan Times.
Also Read| Agnipath protests: Internet suspended in 12 Bihar districts till June 19
> Internet services were also snapped in several districts of Bihar -- Kaimer, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Buxer, Nawada, West Champaran, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Vaishali and Saran – in the wake of the protests.
> Bihar deputy chief minister Renu Devi, whose house in Bettiah district was attacked by protesters earlier in the day, came out in support of the Agnipath scheme and accused opposition parties of 'misleading students', adding their goons were destroying public property.
> The West Bengal government asked all district administrations to take precautionary measures to ensure that law and order is not disturbed anywhere. Preventive steps have already been taken in the districts, senior police officer said. The state saw disruption of train services on the Sealdah-Bangaon route in North 24 Parganas district, besides protests in north Bengal.
Also Read| ‘Misunderstanding’: Navy chief says didn't anticipate stir over Agnipath scheme
> Admiral Hari Kumar, the Chief of the Naval staff, said protests were happening due to misinformation and misunderstanding of the scheme. “I didn't anticipate any protests like this. We worked on the Agnipath scheme for almost a year and a half… It's the single biggest Human Resources Management transformation in the Indian military,” Admiral Kumar told news agency ANI.
> Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said the selection process by the Indian Air Force for recruitment under the new scheme will start from June 24, while the Army said it will begin the initial exercise within two days.
(With agency inputs)
