Centre firm on Agnipath roll-out, lull in states

New Delhi, June 19: With the government standing its ground on the contentious Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment in the armed forces, the three services of the military on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment under the new policy and warned those who indulged in violence and arson will not be inducted.
There was a comparative lull after the stormy protests which rocked several states during the past four days including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana, while peaceful agitations were held in several places.
As many as 35 WhatsApp groups that were allegedly spreading fake news about the scheme were banned by the government, officials said.
In a stern warning to those indulging in destructive protests over the scheme, Lt Gen Anil Puri, additional secretary in the Department of Military Affairs, said youths who were involved in arson and violence will not be able to join the three services as a police verification process will be carried out before enrolling anyone. He also said the aspirants will have to pledge they were not part of protests or incidents of arson.
Recruitment rallies under the Agnipath scheme will take place across India in August, September and October. (PTI)