Agnipath: Violence, arson hit states; Centre defends scheme, faces opp ire

New Delhi/Patna/Lucknow, June 16: Trains were set afire and blocked, and public vehicles attacked as protests over ‘Agnipath’ swept across several places in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana on Thursday amid partisan political voices in favour and against the new recruitment scheme for the defence forces that has set off a firestorm.
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.
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.
Over 34 trains were cancelled and eight more partially cancelled due to the protests and delays in the Railway Recruitment Board exams, railway sources said in New Delhi.
At Nangloi in the national capital, protesters blocked the railway track and raised slogans against the scheme.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said there are many dreams for the future in the eyes of those preparing for recruitment in the armed forces such as serving the country and their parents.
The Left parties demanded that the scheme be withdrawn and taken up in Parliament for discussion, alleging that it does “disservice” to India’s national interests.
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.
In a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, he said the young population has shared their questions and doubts with him about the radical changes in the recruitment process which also proposes that the 75 per cent of the recruits will retire after four years of service without pension.
However, Union minister and BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Choubey 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. (PTI)