VIOLENCE CONTINUES AGAINST “AGNIPATH”

From Our Bureau

NEW DELHI: Caring less against the Government’s bid to mollify the rage across the country on its “Agnipath” scheme of recruitment as soldiers for just four years, the violence continued for the second day on Friday with many state governments, including Bihar, cutting off the Internet to spread its spread.

Police had to cordon the road near the Parliament House to quell the protests by the National Students Union of India(NSUI), the student wing of the Congress.

There was violence in the Haryana town of Gurugram, next to Delhi, as also in many parts of the country.

The government’s concern is that the violence by the youth and the aspirants finding no prospects any longer to get the secure jobs in the Armed Forces may worsen if the ex-servicemen join the protests.

The worst will be if the serving officers of the Armed Forces too revolt against the government for the first time in the history of India as they have started voicing concern over what ex-servicemen call a difficult task to handle India’s defence with the soldiers having no thorough training on all aspects alike engagement of the regular soldiers.

Bihar is witnessing the worst kind of violence that began there three days ago on Wednesday as the protesters targetted railway property and the houses of Bihar deputy CM Renu Devi and Bihar BJP President and West Champaran MP Dr Sanjay Jaiswal.

The violence picked up in the southern parts of the country while it continued in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.

Telangana police resorted to aerial firing to disperse the angry crowd at the Secunderabad railway station as protests escalated into large-scale violence and arson. Protestors were demonstrating on railway tracks and have halted all train movements for three hours. Security forces are outnumbered as the railway station has been overrun by angry youth, who have already set three trains on fire.

Railway services were disrupted across the country as protesters blocked tracks and set train coaches ablaze in several states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana. Anticipating violence in the state, the Haryana government has suspended internet services in Gurugram and Faridabad district’s Ballabgarh, whereas prohibitory orders under Section 144, restricting gathering of more than four persons, have been imposed in Gurgaon, the police said.

The Home Ministry officials were busy collecting data on the ongoing violence and directing the state police to be strict to prevent gathering of the unruly mobs and take action before the matter goes out of hand.

In Telangana, one protester lost his life while several others were injured after shots were fired at a mob at Secunderabad railway station as protests against the Agnipath scheme escalated into large-scale violence and arson.

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