On the third day of protests against the new defense recruitment program, another train was set on fire by a group of youths who claimed to be job seekers. After a bogie of the train burned down in Bihar on Thursday, another train was set on fire on Friday. The rioters continue to block roads and railroads across states. Many also pelted stones at police officers in Gurugram on Thursday. On Friday morning, protesters burned tires at a train station in Buxar, Bihar.
Rioters in West Bengal Protesters tried to block the Bongaon Railway early in the morning on Friday. Protesters also tried to block the Howrah Bridge. Police resorted to lathi-charge and arrested protesters to lift the blockade. Several arrests have been made in different states.
All India Students Association (AISA) has called for a nationwide protest on Friday. After protests in several states, the government raised the age limit to 23 from 21 for recruiting under the 2022 scheme, without citing the unrest.
In video | Army Aspirants with NSUI Activists at Secunderabad . Railway Station
Rioters pelted rocks in Hyderbad
#WATCH † Bihar: Protest against #AgnipathRecruitmentSchemerioters destroy Lakhminia train station, blocking railway lines here. pic.twitter.com/H7BHAm8UIg
— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2022
Government issues helpline numbers, clarification
As the protest intensifies, authorities have launched helpline numbers for several train stations. People can contact the authorities in Khargariya by calling 8252912031, for Hajipur the official helpline is 8252912078 and for Barauni it is 8252912043.
In an apparent effort to calm the battered minds, the government has issued a ‘Myth vs Facts’ document to allay concerns about the plan. The government’s information dissemination department has made a series of social media posts in support.
Requirements and new rules
Protesters claim the new arrangement will shorten tenure to just four years in the armed forces. This, protesters claim, will be very insecure and cause a lack of job security for them. Furthermore, no pension for those retiring after four years of service is also one of the main concerns of those opting out of the Agnipath scheme.
According to the plan, about 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually, with most of them leaving the service in just four years. Of the total annual recruits, only 25 percent are allowed to remain in permanent employment for another 15 years. The move will make the permanent armed forces much leaner for the more than 13 lakh armed forces in the country
‘Walks can be solved’
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Thursday any loopholes in a government plan could be removed to ensure everyone benefits. “Lacuna, if any, can be removed to ensure the settlement is beneficial to all,” Pawar told reporters in Pune while responding to a question about the protests.
On Thursday, trains were set on fire, public and police vehicles were attacked and personnel injured as protests snowballed across ‘Agnipath’ and swept across several states. Railroad properties were vandalized and protesters set stationary carriages on fire at Bhabhua and Chhapra stations and smashed carriage windows in many places.
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