Protests against Centre's contentious Agnipath scheme have resulted in the death of one person with several others getting injured, reports ndtv.com.
Irate mobs set trains on fire and locked horns with police in many states. As per latest reports, tear gas was used on Delhi-Agra highway with 100 arrested in Ballia, reports hindustantimes.com.
Amid the agitation, the government offered a one-time relaxation in the upper age limit for 2022, raising it to 23 years from 21, possibly to meet the criticism that the scheme’s introduction has been particularly harsh coming after a two-year freeze in recruitments.
1 dies in Secundrabad
The protest against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme relating to recruitment in the armed forces spread to the South on Friday when unidentified miscreants went on the rampage at the Secunderabad Railway station here, setting on fire a parcel coach of a passenger train.
One person was killed, while over 15 others were critically injured after the police opened fire to control an angry mob that went berserk at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday in protest against the Union defence ministry’s new ‘Agnipath’ scheme.
Protests against Agnipath in Odisha
Protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme spread to Odisha on Friday as hundreds of aspirants for recruitment in the Armed Forces blocked the arterial Ring Road in Cuttack and tore down hoardings in Cantonment area of the silver city.
Many among the protesters claimed to have already cleared physical fitness and medical tests for recruitment in the Army last year and were waiting to write the Common Entrance Examination (CEE).The protests followed the death by suicide of a person who it is said cleared the physical fitness and medical tests during a recruitment drive by the Army and apprehended that it will be cancelled after the announcement of 'Agnipath'. Police held lathi charges to disperse the protestors and detained some of them, said Cuttack deputy commissioner of police, Pinak Mishra.
Activists of AISA and other organisations stage a protest against the newly announced Agnipath scheme in New Delhi PTI Picture
Sec 144 imposed in Gurugram as precautionary measure
The Gurugram district administration has imposed Section 144 as a precautionary measure even though no fresh protest was reported here on Friday against the Centre's Agnipath scheme to recruit soldiers.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav said the order was issued as protests were likely to spread to the second day here and that the administraton anticipated angry crowd at railway stations, bus stands, markets, national highways and power grids among other places in the district.
Agnipath protests: Railways says 200 train affected
Over 200 trains have been affected so far due to the protests against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces, the Railways said Friday.
Around 35 trains have been cancelled while 13 short-terminated since the protests erupted on Wednesday, the national carrier said.
The worst-hit East Central Railways -- which covers Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh, the states which have witnessed widespread protests -- has also decided to "monitor" the operations of eight trains due to the agitations.
The officials said they are keeping an eye on the movement of these trains and will take decision on their operation as the situation evolves.
Anti-Agnipath stir intensifies in Bihar, deputy CM's house attacked
Protests against the Agnipath' scheme of recruitment in armed forces grew more virulent on Friday in Bihar, where a mob attacked the house of Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi, besides causing heavy damage to railway property and affecting normal life in a number of districts.The state has been witnessing agitations since Wednesday, a day after the government came out with the new scheme on a four-year contractual basis after which only 25 per cent shall be regularised based on performance assessment by seniors, while the rest will be discharged from service without pensionary benefits.
Angry aspirants set fire to at least 20 bogies of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations and blocked highways in the state.
The demonstrators blocked highways at several places in Buxar, Bhagalpur and Samastipur and burnt tyres as a mark of protest, officials said.
The protests, which are into its third day in the state, caused massive disruption of railway services at Buxar and Kahalgaon, officials of East Central Railways said.
Jamalpur superintendent of railway, Umer Javed said the protestors set on fire 12 bogies of Vikramshila Express. However, there was no casualty.
Protestors also set eight bogies of Bihar Sampark Kranti on fire at Samastipur railway station demanding scrapping of the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the Armed Forces, a Railway official said.
Gates of several metro stations closed as AISA protests against Agnipath scheme
Entry and exit gates of some Delhi Metro stations were closed on Friday as members of the Left-affiliated All India Students' Association protested against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces and demanded its rollback.
In a series of tweets, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation alerted commuters about the closure of gates of stations due to "security reasons".
The AISA also demonstrated against police action on those protesting against the Agnipath scheme, that since its announcement has kicked off a firestorm across the country.
The DMRC said in its tweets, which were updated frequently, that due to "security reasons" that initially some gates of the ITO Metro Station and Dhansa Bus Stand Metro Station were closed.
Later all gates of Dhansa Bus Stand were closed briefly.
Around 12:40 PM, the DMRC tweeted, "All gates of ITO Metro Station are closed."
It further updated said all gates of Delhi Gate and Jama Masjid Metro Stations were also briefly closed.
