At least 250 people have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh over the 'Agnipath' protests, which has seen hordes of angry youth, carrying bamboo sticks and stones, storming railway premises across cities and small towns and laying siege to highways.
Meanwhile, protests against 'Agnipath' left Bihar in flames on Friday when rampaging mobs set fire to dozens of railway coaches, engines and stations and torched BJP offices, vehicles and other property, prompting the police to suspend internet services in nearly a third of the state.
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Here are the highlights on the 'Agnipath' protests:
Amid the protests against the centre's Agnipath Scheme across the country, violent protests have led to the destruction of property worth Rs 200 crore, damage to around 50 train coaches and five engines, a railway official said on Saturday.
"Vandalism in railway premises have led to losses of over Rs 200 crore. Fifty coaches and five engines were completely burnt and went out of service," said Prabhat Kumar, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) for the Danapur Rail Division.
A delegation of Congress leaders submitted a memorandum to a representative of the Haryana governor here on Saturday against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action against party leaders and the "Agnipath" scheme for military recruitment.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accused the ED of acting against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi at the behest of the BJP-led centre due to "political vendetta".
The ED had summoned the Gandhis to appear in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper-Associated Journals Limited issue.
On the Agnipath scheme, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said it is neither in the interest of the country nor in the interest of youngsters.
The Congress will take out a Tiranga rally in Jaipur on Sunday against the centre's Agnipath scheme.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told reporters that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and state party chief Govind Singh Dotasra will attend the rally at Amar Jawan Jyoti in Jaipur.
He said the Agnipath scheme is being opposed by the youth across the country and the centre should withdraw it.
Violence and arson marked the fourth consecutive day of protests against Agnipath on Saturday when a state-wide bandh was also called by army aspirants to press the demand for rollback of the new system of recruitment in the armed forces.
Police acted tough, arresting altogether 250 people across the state during the day and lodging 25 First Information Reports (FIRs), according to a statement issued by the force here.
The statement also put the total number of arrests since Thursday at 718 and said more people would be rounded up after they are identified in a thorough examination of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and videography done at various places.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put on hold the Agnipath scheme, saying the "protests erupting" against it is a clear indication of the sentiments of India's youngsters.
His statement came amid raging protests in many states including Kerala against the implementation of the scheme.
On Thursday night, it raised the upper age limit for recruitment under the 'Agnipath' scheme to 23 years for 2022 as the protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the three services intensified.
'अग्निपथ योजना' को लाने के बाद महज कुछ घंटे के भीतर इसमें किए गए संशोधन यह दर्शाते हैं कि संभवतः योजना बनाते समय सभी बिंदुओं को ध्यान में नहीं रखा गया।
- Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) June 18, 2022
जब देश की सेना, सुरक्षा और युवाओं के भविष्य का सवाल हो तो 'पहले प्रहार फिर विचार' करना एक संवेदनशील सरकार के लिए उचित नहीं।
She also said that due to long delays in the recruitment process and appointments, the youth is disappointed.आर्मी भर्ती की तैयारी करने वाले ग्रामीण युवाओं का दर्द समझिए
- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) June 18, 2022
3 साल से भर्ती नहीं आई
दौड़-दौड़ के युवाओं के पैरों में छाले पड़ गए, वे निराश-हताश हैं
युवा एयरफोर्स भर्ती के रिजल्ट व नियुक्ति का इंतजार कर रहे थे
सरकार ने उनकी स्थाई भर्ती, रैंक, पेंशन, रुकी भर्ती: सब छीन लिया pic.twitter.com/p5aIiDmIQb
The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has cancelled and short terminated several trains passing through Odisha due to nationwide protests against the Agnipath recruitment scheme.
No train will be operated at Visakhapatnam station from 6 am to 2 pm on Saturday in view of the agitation, the ECoR said in a release.
The cancelled trains include the Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Intercity Express and Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad Visakha Express.
The ECoR partially cancelled at least 10 trains, including the Godavari Express from Hyderabad that will end its journey at Duvvada near Visakhapatna
Protests in Haryana intensified after around 50 people set a vehicle on fire near Mahendargarh railway station. A railway engineer at Mahendargarh railway station said protesters entered the building complex and caused damage to property.Disturbing visuals from Ludhiana. There is no justification for pushing our youth to desperation. The adamant attitude of @narendramodi regime is pouring oil on fire. @BJP4India only considers our youngsters a vote bank & sought their vote on Employemnt, they now feel cheated. pic.twitter.com/Sr61qLCnJJ
- Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (@RajaBrar_INC) June 18, 2022
The announcement comes after four days of violent protests in several states by military aspirants over worries about job security at the end of four years, the duration of the 'Agnipath' tour of duty scheme.
"The 10% reservation will be implemented in the Indian Coast Guard and defence civilian posts, and all the 16 Defence Public Sector Undertakings. This reservation would be in addition to existing reservation for ex-servicemen," Mr Singh tweeted.
"Necessary amendments to relevant recruitment rules will be undertaken to implement these provisions. Defence Public Sector Undertakings will be advised to make similar amendments to their respective recruitment rules. Necessary age relaxation provision will also be made," he said.
Police have registered cases against 400 unknown persons in connection with the protests against Centre's newly announced Agnipath scheme in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia, an official said on Saturday.
The Government Railway Police too has registered cases against 150 unknown persons, SHO (GRP) Raghvendra Yadav said.
Circle officer Priti Tripathi on Saturday said, "Based on the complaint lodged by the station master of Ballia railway station, a case was registered at 3.30 am against 400 unknown persons under the Railway Act, IPC and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act."
"The 109 arrested persons were presented at the court of the city magistrate, who sent them to 14 days of judicial custody," she said.
Mrs Gandhi termed the 'Agnipath' scheme "directionless" and said that it is unfortunate that government has "ignored" the voice of the youths.
The Congress chief pledged to stand with the protesters and work for withdrawal of the scheme.
"I'm sad that govt ignored your voice & announced a new scheme that is completely directionless... I appeal to all of you to protest peacefully in a non-violent manner. Indian National Congress is with you," she said.
Massive protests have been reported in Bihar, where angry mob set fire to dozens of trains, and damaged public properties across several cities and towns, prompting the police to suspend internet services in nearly a third of the state.
In view of large scale agitation leading to damage to railway property including burning of train coaches in areas falling under the East Central Railway, Bihar bandh and damages caused to railway tracks due to flood in Lumding and Rangiya divisions of Assam some trains have been cancelled/diverted/rescheduled/short-terminated/short-originated, NFR's Chief Public Relations Officer Sabyasachi De said.
NFR had cancelled 11 trains due to violent protests in Bihar and eight due to floods in Assam on Friday.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Saturday termed the Central government's decision to reserve vacancies for Agniveers in CAPFs and Assam Rifles as a "very positive step" and asked the protesting youth to gather 'correct information' and get their doubts about the scheme clarified instead of resorting to violence.
"It's a very positive step. This is one assurance that the people, who are going to leave services after four years of tenure, were waiting for this. I'm sure that this will be followed by many other such announcements and will definitely assuage issues that have been brought up by youth," said Mr Chaudhari.
"Resorting to violence and arson is not a solution. If they have doubts, there are military stations, Air Force bases, and Naval bases around. They can go to them, get their doubts clarified," he added.
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday announced that 'Agniveers' will be absorbed into the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles at the end of their four-year term in the army.
Students' organisations in Bihar, led by the All India Students' Association, have called a 24-hour Bihar bandh today demanding an immediate rollback of the new recruitment scheme in the military launched this week by the government.
Patna DM Chandrashekhar Singh said an FIR was filed against 170 people, out of whom 46 were arrested for vandalism at Danapur railway station.
The Chennai Police on Saturday detained around 300 youngsters who protested against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme.
Many of the youngsters who have been detained claim that they had already given the exams and were just waiting for other formalities to get enlisted into the services.
The protesters were gathered at the War memorial in Chennai when the police detained them.
He said the scheme will bring revolutionary changes in the enrolment process for soldiers, asserting that there will be no compromise on the quality of training to be imparted to the personnel to be recruited under the scheme.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday seeking a roll-back and re-deliberation of the 'Agnipath' scheme.
"The Union Government has failed to comprehend that a jawan supports not only himself but his family," wrote Mr Chadha in a statement.
Train services on the Sealdah-Barrackpore route in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district were disrupted for around one hour on Saturday as a group of anti-Agnipath agitators blocked railway tracks and did push-ups to register protest against the new scheme for recruitment in armed forces.
Around 20 protesters blocked both up and down lines at a level crossing from around 10 AM thus also affecting vehicular traffic, a spokesperson of the Eastern Railway said.
"We love our country, please don't play with our future. We have been preparing for the army for several years, and now the Centre implements Agnipath scheme. We demand its immediate rollback," one of the protesters, carrying 'Boycott Agnipath' placard, told reporters, as quoted by ANI.
Protests against the 'Agnipath' scheme intensified in Bihar's Jehanabad district on Saturday with angry protesters throwing stones at policemen.
A large number of protesters blocked the Tehta Mela Road under Tehta OP and pelted stones at policemen who were present at the spot to control the situation.
Several policemen have been injured in the incident.
Large number of army job aspirants, who have been reportedly waiting to get enrolled into the defence service, gathered at Thampanoor, located in the heart of the city, in the morning and marched to Raj Bhavan, the official residence of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.
They could be seen raising slogans against the Union government's new military recruitment scheme and holding placards and banners urging the authorities to withdraw their decision at the earliest.
The protesting youth were reportedly hailing from various parts of the southern state.
An agitating man said they would continue the strike till the Centre rolls back its decision and justice is ensured to them.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has held a meeting with Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari at his residence as protests against the 'Agnipath' scheme spread nationwide.
Indian authorities suspended Internet services in 18 districts of Bihar in a bid to stop public gatherings and violent protests over a military recruitment plan, police officials said on Saturday.
One protestor was killed and more than a dozen have been injured in a series of protests in some regions of the country against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new policy to hire soldiers for short tenures.
The Agnipath or "path of fire" system aims to bring more people into the military on four-year contracts to lower the average age of India's 1.38 million-strong armed forces and cut burgeoning pension costs, the government said.
Protesters, mainly young men, say the plan will limit opportunities for permanent jobs with the defence forces, which guarantee fixed salaries, pensions and other benefits.
The former Congress chief also said that for eight consecutive years, the BJP government has "insulted" the values of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'.
In a tweet in Hindi, Mr Gandhi said, "I had said earlier also that the prime minister will have to withdraw the black farm laws."
"In the same manner, he will have to accept the demand of the youth of the country by becoming 'maafiveer' and take back the 'Agnipath' scheme," he said.
D Rakesh, a 24-year-old Army aspirant from Warangal district, died and several people were injured after security personnel opened fire on hundreds of agitators at the Secunderabad railway station here on Friday as the protests against the Centre's new Agnipath military recruitment scheme escalated into large-scale violence and arson.
Violence and protests marred the station blocking rail services causing inconvenience to passengers for several hours. Train operations originating from the station were cancelled or partially cancelled and they resumed subsequently later in the evening.
Congress MPs and leaders will sit on a "Satyagraha" at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi Sunday morning in solidarity with the youths protesting against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.
Youths across the country have taken to the streets against the contentious scheme, and incidents of violence have been reported from several cities and towns.
Sources said Congress MPs, its working committee members, and All India Congress Committee office-bearers will be part of the "Satyagraha" that begins at 10 AM at Jantar the Mantar on June 19.
Fresh violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur as protests against the 'Agnipath' scheme intensified on Saturday.
Large number of protesters blocked a national highway and vandalised vehicles. A government bus was also set on fire by angry protesters.
Police forces have been deployed to control the situation.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said that a joint movement will be held at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on June 20 against the recently announced Agnipath Recruitment Scheme by the Central Government.
"A joint movement will be organized at Jantar Mantar in Delhi at 11 am on June 20 against the Agnipath scheme," he said in a tweet.
He has also appealed to all the organizations of 'Syukt Rojgar Andolan Samiti' to reach Jantar Mantar.
Protests have broken out in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces. In some places, the protests turned violent as trains were set ablaze.