E-Paper
Secunderabad clashes: No outsiders’ role in violence, says railway police official
The Additional DGP clarified that the youths who were selected in physical test of army recruitment and ready for written test formed social media groups and circulated about Agnipath programme which may cause loss to their employment in army recruitment
The Friday’s violence at the Secunderabad railway station in protest against the new army recruitment system Agnipath was carried out entirely by the aspirants for army jobs and there was no involvement of outsiders, a senior railway police official said on Sunday.
“There was absolutely no involvement of any outside anti-social elements and the attacks were carried only by the army job aspirants, who were misguided by the heads of the coaching institutes,” additional director general of police (Railways) Sandeep Sandilya told Hindustan Times.
The promoters of the coaching institutes, who provided training to the job aspirants, had provoked them to take up protests against Agnipath scheme. “The suspected mastermind behind the violence, a coaching institute director, is now in the custody of the Telangana police. He is being questioned,” Sandilya said.
He said in all 46 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violent attacks and arson at the Secunderabad railway station. “All these were arrested in the last two days and remanded to judicial custody. We could not make fresh arrests on Sunday, as we are in the process of identifying more protestors who took part in the violence,” the additional DGP said.
He said the exact number of the accused in the violence had not yet been ascertained. “We are transferring the case to the Telangana state police for further investigation,” Sandilya said.
Based on a complaint from Secunderabad railway station superintendent Raja Narasu, the Secunderabad railway police have registered a case against the unknown people under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 324 (causing injuries by dangerous weapons or means), 307 (attempt to murder), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), 427 (damage to public property), 448 (trespassing), 336 (rash act endangering human life), 332 (injuring public servants) and 341 (wrongful restraining) of Indian Penal Code, besides various sections of the Prevention of Destruction of Public Properties Act.
According to the complaint, about 300 agitators entered the railway station initially from gate no. 3 at 9 am in the garb of general passengers and started raising slogans opposing Agnipath scheme.
“Suddenly, the agitators started coming in groups of 200-300 and the number increased to 2,000. Some of the agitators, armed with sticks and rods and raising slogans, started damaging the railway station and trains. The police present for bandobust tried to stop them but they started pelting stones by taking the stones from the railway tracks. The unruly mob spread to all the platforms and damaged several trains, set fire to a few coaches,” the complaint said.
In the meantime, the local police, railway protection force and general railway police reached the railway station and the mob started pelting stones at them. “They sat on the track and continued stone pelting, resulting in injuries to some passengers and a few police officials,” the complaint said.
As the protesters were moving towards a power car having 4000 litres of diesel and two other loco engines with 3000 litres of transformer oil, the police and the RPF warned them, saying if they are burnt, it would lead to explosions. “As the protestors refused to heed to the warnings, the RPF personnel opened fire in air and later, opened fire on the mob preventing them from setting fire to the loco engines. It resulted in death of one person and injuries to 12 others,” the complaint said.
The Additional DGP clarified that the youths who were selected in physical test of army recruitment and ready for written test formed social media groups and circulated about Agnipath programme which may cause loss to their employment in army recruitment.
“Had they resorted to peaceful protest, they would not have been in trouble. Now, they have ruined their own lives and precious careers by indulging in violence,” he said.
About the loss caused to the railways, Sandilya said preliminary estimates put it at ₹20-30 crore, but now, the loss was estimated to be around ₹13-14 crore.
