Agnipath protests: Railways says 200 train affected so far, 35 cancelled

New Delhi, June 17 (PTI) 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.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw urged youths not to destroy railway asset. "I appeal to the youth to not indulge in violent protests and not damage the property of the Railways."

The worst-hit East Central Railways -- which covers Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh, the states which have witnessed widespread protests -- has also decided to "monitor" the operations of eight trains due to the agitations.

The officials said they are keeping an eye on the movement of these trains and will take decision on their operation as the situation evolves.

These trains include: 12303 Howrah - New Delhi Poorva Express, 12353 Howrah - Lalkuan Express , 18622 Ranchi - Patna Patliputra Express, 18182 Danapur - Tata Express, 22387 Howrah - Dhanbad Black Diamond Express, 13512 Asansol - Tata Express, 13032 Jaynagar - Howrah Express and the 13409 Malda Town - Kiul Express.

Two ECR trains that have been cancelled are -- 12335 Malda Town - Lokmanya Tilak (T) Express and the 12273 Howrah - New Delhi Duronto Express.

Details about other cancelled trains were not immediately available.

Several trains run by the North Frontier Railways also pass through the ECR jurisdiction and three of them are also hit, the railways said.

Angry mobs have targeted trains and railway property in their protests against the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces on a short-term contractual basis.

Coaches of three running trains in the ECR and one empty rake in Kulharia (also in the ECR) were damaged by violent protestors. One coach of a stationary train was also damaged in the washing line at Uttar Pradesh' Balia.

Damages to fixed asset are difficult to be assessed at the moment, railway officials said.

In Balia, raising slogans 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and 'Agnipath Wapas Lo (withdraw Agnipath scheme)', protesting youths set an empty train on fire and vandalised a few other trains, prompting the police to lathicharge them.

Reports of agitators vandalising the Secunderabad Railway Station and setting a trainset ablaze have also come in.

Anti-Agnipath stir intensifies in Bihar, deputy CM's house attacked

Protests against the Agnipath' scheme of recruitment in armed forces grew more virulent on Friday in Bihar, where a mob attacked the house of Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi, besides causing heavy damage to railway property and affecting normal life in a number of districts.

The state has been witnessing agitations since Wednesday, a day after the government came out with the new scheme on a four-year contractual basis after which only 25 per cent shall be regularised based on performance assessment by seniors, while the rest will be discharged from service without pensionary benefits.

The large-scale violence and arson is a handiwork of goons instigated by the opposition parties. What else explains targeted attacks on BJP leaders? My house in Bettiah town was attacked. Window panes and a car parked inside got damaged. Thankfully, none of those inside was injured. Petrol pump owned by a brother of Sanjay Jaiswal (state party president) has also been vandalised, Renu Devi told PTI.

The deputy CM rued that she was planning to leave for Bettiah by helicopter to attend a number of functions, but had to put off the visit in view of the law and order situation.

In Motihari, adjoining Bettiah, the car of BJP MLA Vinay Bihari was pelted with stones and while the legislator and his driver were not injured, the vehicle was badly damaged.

The attack on BJP leaders comes a day after the party's MLA Aruna Devi was injured in a stone-pelting incident at Nawada, where the party office was also torched by the rampaging mob.

The police in Katihar district, taking a cue from Renu Devi's experience, has tightened the security around the house of Tarkishor Prasad, the other deputy CM who also happens to be the local BJP MLA.

The state capital, which had so far been largely untouched by the stir, witnessed some commotion as controversial former MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav staged a demonstration on the Dak Bungalow crossing along with hundreds of supporters, causing huge traffic snarls.

Barely a couple of kilometres away, students staged a huge demonstration at the Kargil chowk and marched through Ashok Rajpath, flanked on either side by colleges affiliated to the Patna University and book shops, coaching centres and residential complexes doubling up as cheap hostels.

It is natural for the youngsters to be outraged at the Agnipath' scheme. They do not join the armed forces, putting their lives at risk, to be kicked out after four years with no pensionary benefits, Yadav told reporters.

He also scoffed at the rationale being given for the scheme that it will cut down the defence pension bill, saying such talk does not hold water in a country where you become eligible for lifelong pension upon becoming an MP or an MLA even for one day .

The young protesters demonstrating in front of Patna University were even more vocal.

They also said if the government thought reducing pension bills in this manner was fair, "it should do away with pensions of MPs and MLAs and shorten their tenure to two years".

It was, however, the railways that continued to bear the brunt of the protesters. The East Central Railway zone headquartered at Hajipur, which had announced restoration of normal rail traffic from 3.30 pm on Thursday, again came out with a list of trains that had to be cancelled, short terminated or diverted.

The mob set fire to 30 coaches of two trains, one each at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations and torched a railway engine in Bettiah. A toll plaza in Deedarganj, the outskirts of Patna, and a police jeep in Nawada were also set ablaze.

Till Thursday evening, the state police had confirmed the arrest of 125 people, lodging of 24 cases and injuries sustained by 16 personnel.

Cong demands Agnipath scheme rollback, says it's neither in national interest nor security

Amid widespread protests against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in defence services, the Congress on Friday demanded its immediate rollback, saying it is neither in the interest of the country nor its security.

The party's Rajya Sabha MP Deepinder Singh Hooda said the scheme should be taken back immediately and a three-year age relaxation be announced for youths who could not join the armed forces due to delays in recruitment.

Urging the protesters to be patient and not resort to violence, he asked the government to apologise to the youth of the country for bringing the new short-term recruitment scheme for the armed forces.

"The government should immediately take back the Agnipath scheme. It is neither in favour of national security nor national interests and certainly not in favour of the country's youth," he told reporters at a press conference.

"We demand an age relaxation of three years as there has been no recruitment for the last three years. Anything less than three years is not acceptable," Hooda said.

Recalling the death of over 700 farmers during the year-long farmer agitation, he flagged the alleged suicide of a Haryana youth for losing his chance to join the Army.

"Don't make the same mistake as you (government) did during the farmers' agitation which saw the death of over 700 protesting farmers," he said demanding immediate withdrawal of the Agnipath scheme.

Hooda said the Congress stands by the aspirants for jobs in the defence services and will fight for their rights and demands.

The party also demanded that the government convene either a special session of Parliament or an all-party meeting to discuss the armed forces recruitment issue and build a bipartisan consensus on the matter.

Claiming the Agnipath scheme is not suited for India, Hooda alleged the government is bringing schemes from other countries which shows that it is infatuated with western concepts.

He alleged there was a disconnect between the government policies and rural India the prime examples of which are the land acquisition act, the farm laws and now the Agnipath scheme.

Families of those who have taken the extreme step after the Agnipath scheme was announced by the government should be given compensation, Hooda demanded, adding "The government should apologise to the youth of the country."

The Congress leader from Haryana said the government has convened Parliament session from July 18 but the demand is the government should either hold a special discussion or deliberate on the matter in the Standing Committee on Defence or at an all-party meeting.

A frank debate on India's security is needed. The current recruitment policy should be discussed with experts as the youth of the country are in agony, he said.

"Please do not play politics on issues concerning the armed forces. The BJP is free to do politics on anything, but there should be no politics on the country's armed forces," he said.

"We urge the youth to be patient and not take the path of violence. We will fight their battle. The government will have to bow as it had to by taking back the farm laws," the Congress MP said.

Claiming that the new recruitment scheme would prove to be fatal for the future of the youth, Hooda asked, "What was the reason for bringing this scheme and why are we playing with the country's security, especially when it is facing onslaughts from China and Pakistan."