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PremiumOne person was killed in police firing in Telangana's Secunderabad, the first casualty of protests against the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme that raged through several states for the third day on Friday with trains torched, public property vandalised and many thousands blocking tracks and highways.
Assurances by defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah and the Army chief failed to cut ice with hordes of angry youth, carrying bamboo sticks and stones, storming railway premises across cities and small towns and laying siege to highways, creating a security scare.
Students organisations in Bihar, protesting against the Centre’s newly introduced ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme.
Meanwhile, the state government has suspended internet services in Kaimer, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Buxer, Nawada, West Champaran, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Vaishali and Saran districts till 19 June.
Protests took place at 17 places across Uttar Pradesh, including Ballia, Aligarh, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Varanasi, on Friday. According to officials, protesters vandalised trains, damaged buses and torched a police outpost.
According to the railways, 94 mail and express trains and 140 passenger trains have been cancelled due to the protests, while 65 mail and express and 30 passenger trains were partially cancelled.
The Railways has also diverted 11 mail and express trains. The total number of trains affected so far stands at 340.
The Army, Navy and the Air Force on Friday announced that they will start the enrolment process under the new model by next week while defence minister Rajnath Singh appealed to the youths wanting to join the armed forces to start preparing for the induction.
The suspended metro rail services in Hyderbad resumed at 6.35 PM in a phased manner. Earlier in the day, L&T Hyderabad Metro Rail had informed about the suspension of metro services in all three lines of the Hyderabad Metro Rail "till further notice".
Train services were disrupted in several railway divisions, including the Howrah-Mumbai route, in Jharkhand as people blocked tracks at many places. The East Central Railway authorities cancelled five trains as several people put up a blockade on tracks at Dhanbad station around 11 am, an ECR official said.
Coaches of seven trains have so far been set ablaze by protestors, officials said, adding coaches of three running trains in the ECR and one empty rake in Kulharia, in the same zone, were damaged by protestors.
Haryana govt orders suspension of mobile internet services, all SMS services in view of potential law and order situation for next 24 hours.
The process of recruitment under the 'Agnipath' military recruitment scheme will start in a "few days", said defence minister Rajnath Singh. He also tried to assuage the concerns of young people agitating against the 4-year contractual recruitment plan, saying the new model is a "golden opportunity" for those wanting to join the country's armed forces.
Union railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has urged protesters to not damage the properties of railways. “I appeal to the youth to not indulge in violent protests and not damage the property of the Railways. Railways are the property of the country," he said.
Hundreds of aspirants for recruitment in the Armed Forces blocked the arterial Ring Road in Odisha's Cuttack and tore down hoardings in Cantonment area of the silver city, reported news agency PTI.
Many among the protestors claimed to have already cleared physical fitness and medical tests for recruitment in the Army last year and were waiting to write the Common Entrance Examination (CEE).
Scores of youngsters descended on Yamuna Expressway and blocked traffic movement briefly on Friday.
The movement through Jewar toll plaza between Greater Noida and Mathura-Agra was blocked for around an hour from 12 pm, according to officials.
Raising slogans 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Agnipath Vapas Lo', youths protesting against the Centre's new scheme set a bogey of an empty train on fire and vandalised some other trains in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia, prompting the police to lathicharge them.
Nine trains were cancelled and nine trains were short-terminated due to the ongoing protests at various stations in the railway zone.
One person has died and over 15 have been injured in Telangana's Secunderabad during violent protests against the Agnipath scheme.
According to Bihar police, 25 FIRs have been registered in cases related to violence during the protests and 125 people have been detained.
“Some anti-social elements have also entered the protests leading to violence. I appeal to all not to take the law into their hands. 24 FIRs were registered, and over 125 people detained till now," said Sanjay Singh, ADG, law & order, Bihar.
Agnipath protestors set fire to 4-5 train engines and 2-3 coaches. “We'll analyse the extent of the damage. Info of one person being injured. Train services temporarily halted for safety of passengers," said an official
“I appeal to the youth to not indulge in violent protests and not damage the property of the Railways," he said.
Protests over the Agnipath scheme erupted in at least six districts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, with slogan-shouting young men blocking roads and pelting stones.
According to a bulletin issued by the North Eastern Railway, due to the sit-in demonstration against the scheme, operation of 21 trains on Gorakhpur-Chhapra, Chhapra-Ballia, Siwan-Thawe, Chhapra-Masrakh-Thawe, Varanasi-Ghazipur- and Varanasi-Prayagraj rail sections of Varanasi division was affected.
Protests against the Center’s 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme intensified in Bihar on Friday as angry aspirants set fire to at least 20 bogies of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations and blocked highways in the state.
Over 200 trains have been affected so far due to the protests against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces, the Railways said Friday.
Around 35 trains have been cancelled while 13 short-terminated since the protests erupted on Wednesday, the national carrier said.
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