Agnipath row: Protests continue against govt recruitment scheme in Bihar, WB, Odisha

A transport vehicle after it was set on fire by protestors in Bihar. Pic/PTI

Protesters continued to target railway properties in Bihar and West Bengal on Saturday to vent their ire against the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme, disrupting train services in the eastern region for the fourth day in a row, while demonstrations were held on roads in Odisha and Jharkhand.

Meanwhile, the protests against the Agnipath scheme also continued in Haryana with some youths setting a vehicle on fire outside Mahendergarh railway station on Saturday while a group of over 50 agitators barged inside Ludhiana railway station in Punjab causing damage to property.

Job aspirants did push-ups on a road in Bihar

Job aspirants did push-ups on a road in Bihar capital Patna and on railway tracks in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, while one youth ran 60km in Odisha's Nabarangpur as marks of their opposition to the 'Agnipath' short-term recruitment scheme.

In Bihar, protesters torched the Taregana railway station in Patna district and a GRP vehicle while several law enforcers were injured in stone-throwing in Jehanabad when a bandh was also called to press for the demand for rollback of the new scheme for recruitment in armed forces.

Meanwhile, in Danapur sub-division, bandh supporters vandalised an ambulance and the driver alleged that a patient and attendants inside were also beaten up by the mob.

More protests in Haryana, damage caused in Ludhiana railway station

In Haryana, some youths set a vehicle on fire outside Mahendergarh railway station on Saturday while a group of over 50 agitators barged inside Ludhiana railway station in Punjab causing damage to property.
A police official from Mahendergarh, which has seen strong protests against the defence recruitment scheme over past few days, told news agency ANI that a group of youth set a pick-up van on fire and indulged in vandalism.

In Punjab, a group of over 50 youths, who had their faces covered with a cloth, barged inside the Ludhiana railway complex. As some were carrying sticks they smashed many glass pane and ticket counters, police said.

Police jeep, roadways bus torched in Jaunpur

A police jeep and an Uttar Pradesh roadways bus were torched in Jaunpur while RLD and AAP workers protested in Meerut as the agitation against the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme spread in different parts of the state.
In Kannauj, youths staged a protest at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway demanding the withdrawal of the contentious scheme.
District Magistrate of Jaunpur Manish Kumar Verma told PTI hundreds of youths gathered on the Jaunpur-Prayagraj highway on Saturday morning and damaged many vehicles, including two roadways buses and a police car.

Youth Cong workers stage protest against Agnipath scheme in Mumbai and Nagpur

Workers of the Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) staged demonstrations in Nagpur on Saturday against the Central government's Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment into the armed forces.

Claiming that the scheme would destroy the future of youth, Youth Congress workers led by their president Kunal Raut protested at Zero Mile in Nagpur.

Meanhwhile, Mumbai Pradesh Youth Congress also staged protest against Agnipath scheme near Kalina in Mumbai.

Railways suffer massive losses in Bihar

The railways have suffered massive losses in Bihar during protests in the last three days. More than 60 train coaches, 10 engines and some stations have been torched by groups protesting against the introduction of the new recruitment system wherein 75 per cent of jawans will be retired after four years of service, with no pension benefits.

369 trains cancelled due to Agnipath protests

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 told PTI.

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. They have blocked roads and railway tracks, and also set train coaches on fire.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)