Patna/New Delhi: Chaotic scenes emerged in various parts of the country on Thursday, as protests against the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, currently in its second day, saw demonstrators engaging in large-scale destruction of property, sloganeering, and intense clashes with the police. The protests, which kicked off in Bihar, quickly spread to other states such as Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Token protests were staged in the states of Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Jammu & Kashmir as well. A bogie of the Bhabua Patna Intercity Express was set on fire in Bhabua Road Station in Bihar's Kaimur. Demonstrators threw a burning tyre in the Intercity Express after passengers alighted from the train. The district administration deployed GRP, RPF, and additional police forces. This eventually dimmed the intensity of demonstrations.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Bhabua Road Station GRP SI said, "A large number of students started creating ruckus at the railway station. When stopped, they set fire to a bogie of Bhabua Patna Intercity Express. After they were driven away, they went and set fire to the station itself. The numbers were so high that stopping them was out of the question. We requested further forces after this, which finally calmed down the atmosphere."
Incidents of train burning also emerged from Gopalganj and Chhapra districts. In the former, the Pataliputra Express Train was burnt by protestors in the Sidhavaliya railway station. The train, as per information, was on its way from UP's Gorakhpur to Patna. It is learned that there were passengers on board the train at the time of the arson, who escaped. There are no reports of any casualties in this accident. The same situation was on display in Chhapra where the protesters attacked the BJP MLA C N Gupta's residence. Protesters vandalised a portion of the premises besides attacking the party flag. No occupant of the house was hurt.
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Thousands of youths assembled at the Jahanabad railway station on the Patna-Gaya rail route on Thursday and blocked the tracks as protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme entered the second day in Bihar. Demanding rollback of the scheme and recruitment under normal process, the agitators also blocked the Patna-Gaya road route and the Patna-Gaya passenger train.
"We work hard to get inducted into the Armed forces. How will the service be for four years, with months of training and leaves? How will we protect the nation after getting trained for just 3 years? The government has to take back this scheme," said one of the protesters in Jehanabad. In Nawada, the protesters burnt tyres at the Nawada railway station and on busy Prajatantra Chowk.
Due to massive protests, the traffic on the Gaya-Keul rail section was also disrupted. Another protester from Nawada said, "We demand that the recruitment be done as it used to be done earlier, Tour of Duty (ToD) be rolled back and exams are held as earlier. Nobody will go to Army just for four years." The Howrah-Gaya Express was also stopped at Warsaliganj railway station. Several trains on this route were also stopped at several stations. Incidents of stone-pelting were also reported from Arrah.
Police fired teargas shells and charged baton to disperse the angry demonstrators who blocked railway tracks, threw burning tyres on roads and performed push-ups and other drills on the streets as a mark of protest against the recruitment process. "So far we have arrested 125 people in connection with the violence. Two dozen FIRs have been registered. At least 16 police personnel have been injured across the state in clashes with the protesters," Sanjay Singh, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) told PTI.
Haryana
The National Highway 19 in Haryana's Palwal was blocked by protestors on Thursday as a part of their demonstrations against the 'Agnipath' scheme. A subsequent bout of stone-pelting followed after the police reached the place to persuade them, with the latter eventually resorting to lathi-charge in order to disperse the crowd. Police vehicles were afterward set on fire. At the time of filing this report, the situation in the area remains tense.
Meanwhile, similar situations prevailed in the state's Rewari district. Demonstrators broke the police barricade near the Rewari city bus stand, clashing with the police in the process. The situation kept worsening despite security forces persuading the protestors to calm down. They subsequently also blocked the Naiwali Chowk area. Haryana police have registered a case against 1,000 protestors and have arrested as much 30 protestors so far in connection with the violence that stemmed out from 'Agnipath' protests in the state. In Rohtak, Sachin, 23, has died by suicide in a room in his paying guest accommodation. It is said the youth was aspiring to join the Army and had some apprehensions about 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment to the armed forces.
Madhya Pradesh
In Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, meanwhile, thousands of youths on Thursday went forward with their demonstrations, setting fire to the Gola ka Mandir crossroads in the city. They proceeded to the Birla Nagar railway station, where they chucked away railway goods kept on the platform to the train tracks, disrupting railway traffic. The District Collector and the local Police SP were present at the spot.
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Delhi
More than a dozen defense force aspirants stopped a train at Nangloi Railway Station in outer Delhi by lying down on tracks protesting against the Center's Agnipath scheme that seeks to recruit soldiers on a short-term contract. According to police, around 15-20 people people gathered at Nangloi Railway Station around 9.45 am to protest against a delay in railway recruitment examinations and against the Agnipath Scheme. They stopped a train that was bound for Old Delhi from Jind in Haryana, police said. Police reached the spot immediately where GRP staff was also present, asked the protesters to vacate the railway track peacefully.
Rajasthan
The political protest against the scheme emerged in Rajasthan, as the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), led by party supremo Hanuman Beniwal, presented a memorandum issued to the President against the scheme, and submitted it to the District Collectors in all of the party's district headquarters in the state on Thursday. In the state capital Jaipur, RLP State General Secretary Chuttan Yadav and senior leader Shravan Singh Choudhary raised slogans against the scheme. Demonstrators stated that they feared that it would amount to a compromise on national security if military personnel was recruited on a contractual basis.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Shravan Singh Choudhary said, "A soldier is going to sacrifice his life for four years under this scheme. Where else can we find such a profession, which aims at throwing away personnel after getting their service during this time? Why is this process not applicable to bureaucrats? We demand the same be done to the Officers in the forces. Expel politicians from the Lok Sabha every four years. Why will this be done to only jawans?."
The Agnipath recruitment scheme, officially approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, proposes the recruitment of army officers on a contractual basis for a four-year period. However, these officers will not be eligible for the consideration of fixation of final pensionary benefits. The army aspirants have therefore been radically protesting demanding for it to be rolled out.
"It will adversely affect efficiency and effectiveness of the military," opined Major General (retired) Yash Mor. In his blog, Lieutenant General (retired) P R Shankar said, "Many senior veterans have written with the wisdom of their experience. A common voice has emerged. The tour of duty does not seem to be a good idea. Proceed with caution." Many political leaders, with Mayawati being the most recent one, have expressed disappointment with the scheme.
Former Punjab CM and BJP ally Amarinder Singh suggested a rethink on the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment to the armed forces, wondering why the government had to make such "radical" changes. "It will dilute the long existing distinct ethos of regiments," said Amarinder Singh. The former Army captain wondered why the government needed to make such "radical changes" in the recruitment policy, which has been working "so well for the country for so many years". "Hiring soldiers for four years, with effective service of three years, is not at all militarily a good idea," Amarinder said in a statement.
