Coaches of Jammu Tawi Express train were torched at Mohiuddinnagar station.
New Delhi:
In protest against the new military recruitment policy Agneepath, mobs torched trains in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar this morning, which entered the third consecutive day today. The government has defended the plan, calling it “transformative”.
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Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi’s house was attacked in Bettiah in West Champaran district of Bihar in protest against the new recruitment scheme, which has set ablaze. A BJP office in Lakhisarai district was also attacked.
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Bihar has borne the brunt of the violence by setting trains on fire, breaking window panes of buses and pelting stones at passers-by, including the ruling BJP MLA, on Thursday. This morning, an angry youth sitting on the railway track blocked the road at many places across the state.
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In Begusarai district, students created a ruckus at the railway station and also resorted to arson and stone pelting. Two coaches of the Jammu Tawi Express train were torched in Samastipur district, officials told NDTV, adding that no one was injured in the incident.
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In Uttar Pradesh, a mob entered a railway station in Ballia this morning and set a train compartment on fire, and also damaged railway station property before police used force to disperse them.
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Another group of protesters argued with the police over sticks on the streets outside the railway station in eastern UP district. Youths are shown in the video of the protest sticks Demolition of shops and benches at railway station. Ballia District Magistrate Soumya Agarwal told reporters, “Police managed to save the mob from massive damage. We will take action against the people.”
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There have been protests in many parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh over the new military recruitment policy. The protests have spread to BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and Haryana, where phone internet and SMS were suspended for 24 hours in Palwal district following stone-pelting and violence by protesters.
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The government on Tuesday unveiled Agneepath – calling it a “transformative” scheme – to recruit soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air Force, largely on a short-term contract basis of four years.
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Protesters are unhappy with the changes, notably the length of service, no pension provision for those issued early, and the age restriction of 17.5 to 21 that now renders many of them ineligible.
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The opposition has also stepped up its attack on the government over the new recruitment scheme and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to test his patience by walking on Agneepath. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav termed the move as “reckless” and potentially “deadly” for the future of the country.
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After the protest the age limit for Agneepath Recruitment has now been increased from 21 to 23. The government has also given a 10-point defense to the scheme and assured the recruits that they will not find themselves in trouble after completing their four years in the army.