Agnipath protest: Bihar suspends train services for today; 60 coaches, 10 engines damaged so far

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday 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.

The Rajasthan council of ministers on Saturday passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the Centre’s Agnipath scheme. The resolution was passed unanimously during a meeting held at Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s residence here, a release said. 

The Centre on Tuesday unveiled the scheme for recruitment of the youth aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.

At least 138 FIRs and 718 arrests were made in connection to the anti-Agnipath scheme protests in Bihar between June 16 and 18. On Saturday alone, 25 FIRs and 250 arrests were made. 

More than 60 coaches and 10 engines were damaged by fire during the sit-in protests over the last three days. Apart from this, railway properties like signaling systems, operational equipment, and passenger amenities were damaged in many stations. Railway is assessing and evaluating the estimate of the damage. Railway administration has now decided that it will start operation of trains only after reviewing and ensuring safety, security and law and order situation. 

On Saturday, 61 people were arrested from Patna over protests linked to the government's newly introduced Agnipath scheme. With, the total arrests in Patna have gone up to 147. The role of 2 coaching institutes in today's violence in Masaudhi and the role of half-a-dozen coaching institutes in Friday's violence is also under suspicion.

As Bihar burns over protests in connection to the newly introduced military recruitment scheme, nearly a dozen MLAs were assigned Y-level security from the government.  BJP MLAs Sanjay Saraogi and Haribhushan Thakur have already confirmed that they have received the security cover. 

CRPF personnel have already reached the homes and offices of these MLAs.

An aspirant for an Armed Forces job ran 60 km in Nabarangpur as a mark of his opposition to 'Agnipath' on Saturday and a large number of agitators sat in dharna near the revenue divisional commissioner's office in Berhampur in Ganjam district as protests against the scheme spread in Odisha. 

The agitators at Berhampur, including many who cleared the physical tests held earlier, raised slogans demanding withdrawal of the 'Agnipath' initiative and demanded at least 15 years of service in the Armed Forces instead of four after selection. The demonstration was completely peaceful as the administration had made elaborate security arrangement keeping in view the violent agitation in different states.

Police on Saturday afternoon clashed with agitating members of the All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) and All India Democratic Youth Organisation (AIDYO) when they tried to block roads protesting against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme in the southern part of the city's Hazra area, a hundred meters from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence.

Protesting the scheme, the activists demanded that recruits into India's armed forces be given permanent jobs rather than be taken in under the "Agnipath" scheme which employs a soldier on a contract for four years.

The Railways cancelled 369 trains on Saturday due to the agitation against the Centre's recently announced Agnipath scheme for recruitment of soldiers in the armed forces, officials said. These include 210 mail/express and 159 local passenger trains.

The Railways has also partially cancelled two mail/express trains, thus the total number of trains affected during the day is 371, the officials said. The Centre's announcement of the Agnipath scheme -- which proposes to recruit soldiers for four years and retire 75 per cent of them without pension and other social security benefits after the end of their term -- has been met with violent protests by youths in various parts of the country.

Agnipath protest:  Keeping in view the safety of passengers and railway property, Railways has decided that from June 18 to June 20, trains passing through and reaching East Central Railway jurisdiction, will be operated from 8 pm to 4 am. .

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has cancelled and short-terminated several trains passing through Odisha due to nationwide protests against the 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme. No train will be operated at Visakhapatnam station from 6am to 2pm 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.
At least six other trains, including passing-through ones, have been cancelled for agitation at several places. These include the Puri-Patna Express on Saturday and the Puri-Ajmer Express on Monday. 

(with inputs from PTI)

We are on complete alert. People are being identified through video footage. We have found out about role of 7-8 coaching centres through WhatsApp messages from those arrested. These messages were of provocative nature: Chandrashekhar Singh, DM, Patna 

The aim of the meeting was to ensure a quick rollout of the 'Agnipath' scheme and ways to pacify the agitators. 

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said there's anger among youth. I'll also write to Prime Minister, asking him to roll back this decision.Those who want to work for the country with passion should be given the chance to serve the nation & be given a pension later:

Bihar Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad on protest against Agnipath scheme - Situation is getting normal again. Vandalism & arson incidents are unfortunate. The Centre has made a good scheme for youth, it'll provide them many benefits. We appeal to the people of Bihar to maintain peace.

Bihar Police on Saturday said it is probing the role of coaching centres in inciting violent protests against the Centre's Agnipath recruitment scheme in the state.

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.

Even as violent protests are being witnessed over the Centre's Agnipath scheme in parts of the country, several ex-servicemen from a village in Maharashtra' Satara, known for having at least one member of every family in the armed forces, have supported the recruitment plan, saying it would not only provide an employment opportunity to youngsters, but also open up several avenues for them.

Hundreds of youth on Saturday took out a massive protest march here against the Centre's decision to implement the new Agnipath scheme for the recruitment of soldiers, airmen and sailors.

Violent anti-Agnipath protests continued rocking Bihar for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday, with agitators torching vehicles parked on the premises of a police outpost in Jehanabad district. A large number of protestors gathered outside Tehta police outpost around 8.30 AM and started pelting security personnel with stones.

Miscreants captured Taregana GRP in Bihar. Many vehicles were burnt, seven rounds of firing were reported. Police fired in defense. The situation is  tense at present. 

- Reports Nitish Chandra (India TV)

Protestors left a trail of destruction in Bihar's Masaurhi city. Many vehicles were burnt.

- Reports Nitish Chandra (India TV) 

Train services at Secunderabad Railway Station, which witnessed arson and violence resulting in the death of a protester aspiring to join the armed forces, are limping back to normalcy, a senior official of the South Central Railway said on Saturday.

The Delhi Police has arrested a man for allegedly making an inflammatory speech and instigating youths protesting against the Agnipath Scheme. Police said Surender Sharma alias Fauji made the alleged speech Friday morning to a gathering of 50-60 agitators during the protest near the gate of the MCD office in Baba Haridas Nagar. A total of 18 protesters were detained at the spot and they were booked under preventive action. 

Congress MPs and leaders will sit on a "Satyagraha" at the Jantar Mantar Sunday morning in solidarity with the youths protesting against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.

In a tweet in Hindi, 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.

Transformational reforms are underway in the armed forces even as the country's active borders and equally challenging internal threats mandate a very high level of operational preparedness, Army Chief General Manoj Pande said on Friday.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president KT Rama Rao on Friday said the 'Agnipath' scheme is killing the aspirations of millions of youth who want to join the armed forces and demanded Centre to review the controversial scheme.

Various parties, like the RJD, the HAM, and the VIP on Friday extended their support to the Bihar Bandh called by different youth organisations of the state on Saturday. The call for a bandh amid violence sweeping Bihar since the last three days and many railway properties being attacked and destroyed on Friday as well.

Several students' organisations, including CPI-ML (Liberation)-linked AISA, have called a state-wide bandh in Bihar today. RJD, BJP ally Jitan Manjhi and Left parties have extended support to the call.  

Facing countrywide protests over the Agnipath scheme, the BJP on Friday rallied its leaders to put up a stout defence of the new recruitment initiative for the armed forces with its senior leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh terming it as a "golden opportunity" for the youth to serve the country.

While police was busy securing premises of Gaya Junction, the agitators up in arms against the new armed forces recruitment scheme 'Agnipath' set a a coach of Kiul-Gaya passenger train afire at the suburban Paimar railway station on Friday.

Hyderabad police will probe the conspiracy angle in the violence that rocked Secunderabad railway station on Friday during the protest against the Central government's new armed forces recruitment scheme 'Agnipath'.

Young men vandalised trains, damaged buses and torched a police outpost on Friday as they protested over the Centre's Agnipath scheme at several places in Uttar Pradesh.

Ballia District Magistrate Saumya Agarwal has imposed section 144 prohibiting assembly of people here for the next two months in the wake of recent protests against ‘Agnipath’ scheme.

The Railways cancelled 234 trains while 340 trains have been affected so far due to protests against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the defence services, the Railways said. 

With neighbouring Bihar and a few pockets in Bengal witnessing protests over the Centre's newly introduced 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment in defence services, the state government on Friday asked all district administrations to take precautionary measures to ensure that law and order situation is not disturbed anywhere. 

Youths pelted vehicles with stones in Ballabhgarh, squatted on railway tracks in Jind and burnt tyres in Rohtak as protests continued in Haryana for the second day on Friday against the Centre's Agnipath scheme.

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.

A 24 year-old man died and several injured after security personnel opened fire on hundreds of agitators at the Secunderabad railway station on Friday as the protests against the Centre's new Agnipath scheme escalated into large scale violence and arson.

Protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment in defence services continued across Rajasthan on Friday with protesters holding demonstrations, taking out rallies, blocking railway tracks and damaging public property.

A total of 260 people were arrested and six FIRs lodged until Friday in Uttar Pradesh in connection with violent protests over the Centre's Agnipath scheme.

Protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme continued on Friday as scores of youngsters descended on the Yamuna Expressway and blocked traffic movement briefly, prompting Gautam Buddh Nagar police to lodge an FIR against 225 protesters and arrest 15.