Agnipath Scheme: Violence, arson in states; government defends scheme, faces opposition ire

NEW DELHI: Trains were set afire, public and police vehicles attacked and personnel injured as protests over the Agnipath scheme swept across several states on Thursday amid partisan political voices in favour and against the new recruitment scheme for the defence forces that has set off a firestorm. From Bihar's Ara to Haryana's Palwal, from Agra in Uttar Pradesh to Gwalior and Indore in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, hundreds of young aspirants for jobs in the armed forces took to the streets, pouring their anger on public and private property.

Bihar bore the brunt of the violence with trains set ablaze, window panes of buses smashed and passersby, including a ruling BJP MLA, pelted with stones on Thursday, the second day of the protest against the scheme which envisages a short four-year term for soldiers in the three armed forces entailing no gratuity or pension upon retirement. Police fired teargas shells and used batons to break up protests by angry youngsters who blocked railway tracks, threw burning tyres on roads, and performed push-ups and other drills on the streets against the new recruitment policy.

In Nawada, the vehicle of BJP MLA Aruna Devi, who was on her way to a court, was attacked by the agitators, leaving five persons, including the legislator, injured. Railway property was vandalised and protesters set fire to stationary carriages at Bhabhua and Chhapra stations and smashed window panes of coaches at many places. Protesters torched government vehicles in Palwal, forcing the authorities to impose prohibitory orders and suspend mobile internet services to stop the spread of rumours through social media platforms. Altogether 20 young men were rounded up over the violence. Five government vehicles were set on fire by the protesters while stones were thrown at the residence of the Palwal deputy commissioner. Protests also took place in Gurugram, Rewari, Charkhi Dadri, Hisar and Rohtak of Haryana.

Violent demonstrations were held in Gwalior and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Protesters hurled stones and set shops on fire near a railway station in Gwalior, affecting train operations. They also damaged a few shops, officials said, prompting police to baton-charge and fire tear-gas shells. A state-run bus was pelted with stones near Agra and hundreds of slogan-shouting youth staged protests in Bulandshahr and Ballia districts of Uttar Pradesh. Protests were also held in the Jodhpur, Sikar, Jaipur, Nagaur, Ajmer and Jhunjhunu districts of Rajasthan but no violence was reported. Army aspirants, most of whom had cleared their medical and physical tests for recruitment last year and were awaiting the written examination, which has now been cancelled, protested in Jammu.

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"We submitted our forms for the recruitment in the Army in February 2020 but the process started a year later due to COVID-19 outbreak. The written test was initially scheduled for April 25 last year but was postponed several times," Munish Sharma, an army aspirant, said. "Today, we came to know that the process for our recruitment stands cancelled and we have to re-apply in accordance with Agnipath. It is great injustice to us," an exasperated Sharma said. Over 34 trains were cancelled and eight more partially cancelled due to the protests, railway sources said in New Delhi. They said 72 trains were also running late due to the agitation. As violent protests raged in multiple states, the government issued a clarification, asserting that the new model will not only bring in fresh capabilities to the armed forces but also open up avenues for youth in the private sector and help them become entrepreneurs with the aid of the severence package they will be entitled to on retirement.

Apart from issuing a 'Myth vs Facts' document to address the concerns raised about the scheme, the government's information dissemination arm issued a series of social media posts in its support. "The scheme will bring in new dynamism to the armed forces. It will help the forces bring in new capabilities and take advantage of the technical skills and fresh thinking of the youths... It will allow the youths to serve the nation," the Press Information Bureau said in a Facebook post. Referring to the financial package of around Rs 11.71 lakh to be given to each of the recruits at the end of the four-year tenure from the 'Seva Nidhi Package', it said it will provide financial independence to the youth and even help them venture into entrepreneurship. On the criticism that the short tenure of 'Agniveers', the defence personnel recruited under the new system, will harm the effectiveness of the armed forces, government sources said such systems exist in several countries, and the one introduced in India is already "tested out and considered best practice for an agile army".

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The numbers of 'Agniveers' to be recruited in the first year would only make up three per cent of the armed forces, they said, adding their performance will be tested before re-induction into the army after four years. "Hence Army will get the tested and tried personnel for supervisory ranks," they said. The sources said the new scheme will bring about a right mix of "50 per cent-50 per cent" youth and experience in the supervisory ranks in the long run. Political parties, predictably, reacted along partisan lines with the Opposition stepping up its attack on the government and demanding that the scheme be scrapped. "No rank, no pension, no direct recruitment for 2 years, no stable future after four years, no respect shown by the government for the army," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. "Listen to the voice of unemployed youths of the country, don't take 'agnipareeksha' of their patience by making them walk on 'Agnipath', Mr. prime minister," the former Congress chief said.

The Left parties, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, BSP leader Mayawati and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also voiced displeasure over the scheme which the government insists is "transformative". There was the lone voice of disapproval from the BJP--MP Varun Gandhi-- who said the new reform will give rise to more disaffection among the youth. However, Union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey and BJP chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand defended the scheme. Chaubey urged the youth protesting against the Agnipath scheme to stop their agitation and keep away from those inciting them, as he asserted that the initiative is in their interest and that of the armed forces and the country.

Choubey, a senior party leader from Bihar where protests started first on Wednesday, also claimed that some people are using students for political gains. In a statement, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi always thinks and works for the welfare of the youth and the nation. "We assure you that this programme is a constructive step to bring in long-term positive results. Lakhs of youngsters will not only benefit from this but nationalistic sentiments within them will also be strengthened," Choubey said.

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Urging youngsters to not get "deceived", Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the scheme will give a "new dimension" to their life. "Agneepath Yojana' will give a new dimension to your life as well as give a golden base to the future. Don't be deceived. Our 'Agniveer', determined to serve Mother Bharati, will be an invaluable fund of the nation and @UPGovt will give preference to Agniveers in police and other services, " tweeted Adityanath in Hindi. His Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami said, "Uttarakhand's association with the armed forces is well known. The history of the country's armed forces is full of the stories of the valour of soldiers from our state which is also called sainyabhoomi (the land of soldiers).” “Almost every family in Uttarakhand has someone in the armed forces. The Agnipath yojana is a good opportunity for the youth," he told a press conference.

However, former Punjab chief minister and BJP ally Amarinder Singh struck a note of caution and suggested a rethink on the Agnipath scheme. In a statement, he wondered why the government needed to make such "radical changes" in the recruitment policy, which has been working "so well for the country for so many years". "Hiring soldiers for four years, with effective service of three years, is not at all militarily a good idea," said Amarinder Singh, a former Army captain whose party Punjab Lok Congress is an ally of the BJP in Punjab.