Secunderabad: Secunderabad railway police stated that the Defence Academy administrators had instigated the youth to conduct violent protests after the Central government had reduced the upper age limit to 23 years in the Agnipath scheme. According to the railway police, Madhusudan, a resident of Ellareddy in the Kamareddy district of Telangana, and Avula Subba Rao, Director of Sai Defence Academy, was the mastermind behind the protest.
Avula Subba Rao has been arrested and interrogated by the police and the preliminary evidence was submitted to the court on Wednesday. Shiva, the spokesperson of Sai Defence Academy, is said to be an accomplice in the conspiracy. The day before the vandalism, the accused mastermind Subba Rao was seen at the Secunderabad Railway Station and the police have also found that he had taken photos with Army candidates, which were circulated on the Hakimpet Soldiers WhatsApp group.
The railway police, who arrested Subba Rao, have collected evidence proving that he was complicit in the vandalism on June 17. He is expected to be arrested on Thursday. Railway police are investigating the allegations that representatives of some academies played their part by supporting the sabotage, fearing that the academies would suffer a loss of Rs 20 crore if the Agnipath scheme was implemented.
Several WhatsApp groups like Railway Station Block, Indian Army Group, Hakimpet Army Soldiers Group, Chalo Secunderabad ARO 3 Group, Army GP 2021 March Rally Group and CEE Soldiers Group had been set up for the protest. According to the remand report submitted to the court, a conspiracy was hatched to burn bogies like it was done in Bihar. The remand report also stated that messages opposing recruitment of Agniveers through Agnipath were posted on these groups.
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Officials are investigating the role of Defence Academies and Subba Rao, who reportedly provoked army aspirants, to attack the railway station. Secunderabad Railway Police also said that some academies had posted clips of riots in Bihar against the Agnipath scheme on WhatsApp groups, as a result of which army aspirants created havoc at the railway station on June 17. The academies brought on that Agnipath would close all doors to the aspirants' dream of becoming an Army jawan.
The report further stated that as the protesters tried to burn locomotive engines, the police were compelled to open fire. Damera Rakesh was killed in the firing and the injured were sent for treatment to Gandhi Hospital. In all, 45 people, who were involved in the protest, have been arrested and sent to custody while 11 are on the run and most of the accused are in their 20s.
The police have also seized and analysed about 43 mobile phones belonging to the protesters. It has been mentioned in the report that the vandalism caused Rs 20 crore worth of property damage. Two thousand candidates, who are eligible for the joint entrance examination, are undergoing training at various academies in Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam districts, including Sai Defence Academy. The test has been repeatedly postponed for 15 months due to COVID-19. Hence, the candidates were outraged when the test was unanimously cancelled. At the same time, the owners of several academies, including Sai Defence, calculated that the Agnipath would cost their business a loss of crores of rupees.
For several years, these academies have been training candidates, who want to join the Army at a nominal fee. If selected in the army, Rs 2 lakh is collected from each candidate. The academies, which train 2,000 people, estimate that even if half of them are employed, they will earn Rs 20 crore. The Railway Police believe that Subba Rao, Shiva and others, who assumed that the money would be lost if the Agnipath was implemented, provided all possible assistance to the Army candidates to carry out the sabotage.
