Amid protests, Congress delegation petitions Prez Kovind on Agnipath

After the policy, which allows Indian youths to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years, was announced on June 14, protests erupted in various states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Assam.

New Delhi: Amid protests against the Centre's short-term military recruitment scheme Agnipath, a delegation of senior Congress leaders met President Ram Nath Kovind to discuss the Agnipath scheme and police atrocities against MPs.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the president was informed that the Agnipath scheme was neither discussed with any committee nor was presented in Parliament which is a violation of democratic rights. "On Agnipath scheme, we've told the President that it was neither discussed with any committee nor was presented in Parliament. We said that this is a violation of our democratic rights. President has been asked to take this into consideration," he added.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram said that the delegation has submitted a second memorandum to the President regarding alleged police atrocities on Congress leaders."We have asked the President to order an inquiry into this and send the matter to the Parliamentary Privileges Committee," Chidambaram said.

"We will present our case and let the Delhi Police and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) present their case. Let the committee decide whether there has been a breach or not. The President has assured us that he will look into it and take it up with the government," he added.

Earlier in the day Congress leaders and workers took out a march to the Raisina Hills. However, they were stopped at Vijay Chawk by police soon after with only a five-member delegation with permission to meet the President was allowed to proceed further. "The Army guarding the borders of our country is being treated disgracefully. No condemnation is enough. Bihar is burning. Uttar Pradesh is burning. The flames are reaching other places as well. Today the youth is angry and their future is in danger. The country's borders are in danger. Our security is in danger," said Baghel.

DYFI protests in Chennai

During the day the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) cadres stated protested against the Agnipath scheme near Sasthri Bhavan in Chennai's Nungambakkam. They raised slogans against the Centre and demanded immediate rollback of the scheme. The protesters tried to barge through the barricades set up by Chennai Police and were later detained.

Security has been beefed up in several states on Monday amid protests against the Centre's new Agnipath recruitment scheme. After the policy, which allows Indian youths to serve in the regular cadre of the Armed Forces for a period of four years, was announced on June 14, protests erupted in various states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Assam.

Meanwhile, the Indian Youth Congress workers on Monday stopped a train at the Shivaji Bridge railway station near Connaught Place in the national capital to push for their demand for a rollback of the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme. The track was cleared by police and security personnel and train movement resumed after about half an hour, sources said.

40 Youth Congress workers detained in Karnataka

Forty youth Congress were detained in Karnataka's Shivamogga while protesting against the Agnipath scheme. Protests were also held in Belgavi. Congress workers tried to stage a rail blockade in Shivamogga but were not allowed by police.

Schools closed in Jharkhand

All schools in Jharkhand will remain closed on Monday in the wake of the "Bharat Bandh" called by some organisations against the Agnipath recruitment scheme launched by the Central government last week. Security personnel have been deployed at various locations in Ranchi amid protests against the Army recruitment scheme. More than 5000 security personnel were deployed in Jharkhand and schools remained shut across the state on Monday.

Protests in Jammu

Protests also took place in Jammu city with the Congress, the AAP and some other organisations demanding an immediate rollback of the Agnipath scheme, prompting police to detain several members for blocking highways, officials said. Security has been beefed up in the city and police warned of strict action against those trying to disrupt the law and order situation. Led by Uday Chib, hundreds of youth Congress activists assembled in the city and took out a protest rally against Agnipath but were stopped by the police. Over a dozen activists, including Chib, were detained by the police.

Protests in Haryana, roads blocked

Protests took place in several areas of Haryana against the Agnipath scheme. Armed forces aspirants blocked roads and demanded that the scheme be rolled back. In Fatehabad, a group of youth blocked the Lal Batti Chowk, while several others staged a protest on roads in Rohtak district.

Ludhiana Railway station preps for bandh

The Ludhiana Police on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday took stock of Ludhiana railway station. In a conversation with the media on Sunday night, Ludhiana Commissioner of Police (CP) Kaustubh Sharma said, "In view of the tensions prevailing in the state right after the announcement of the Agnipath scheme, we have made special arrangements at the station for Monday morning."

"We have done special deployment of Rapid Action Force. Many people have been arrested. We are taking action against those involved in the incident that took place on June 19," the police official said.

Tight security in Bengal's Howrah

Security was tightened at various locations in the Howrah district of West Bengal amid Bharat Bandh called by some organisations on Monday to mark their protest against the Agnipath recruitment scheme announced by the Centre last week. "Police force has been deployed at multiple locations. We are ready to tackle any kind of situation that may arise. We also urge the youth to not get involved in any untoward activity," Anupam Singh, DCP North, Howrah told reporters.

Trains cancelled

Over 80 trains have been cancelled on Monday amid the protests in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces. A total of 18 East-bound train services scheduled from different Northern Railway terminals have been cancelled today, according to Northern Railways.

It further informed that as many as 71 Delhi area-bound commuter trains (including return services) have also been dismissed for today in the wake of the protests against the Centre's Agnipath recruitment scheme.

Later in the day the Indian Railways came out with a statement mentioning that services of 539 trains were affected due to the protests. 529 trains were cancelled which included 181 mail/express trains and 348 passengers trains. The Railways also partially cancelled four mail/express trains.

Police on alert across states

Police in several states have announced measures and tightened security for June 20 protest. In Delhi's neighbouring areas Faridabad and Noida, Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits the assembly of four or more persons, has been imposed. Uttar Pradesh Police said that strict action will be taken against those found involved in jeopardising peace.

"Amid protests against Agnipath Scheme, anti-social elements may jeopardise peace. Section 144 imposed in Gautam Buddha Nagar and strict action will be taken against those found involved in such incidents," said Ashutosh Dwivedi, ADCP, Law and Order, Noida.

In Rajasthan's Jaipur, prohibitory orders under section 144 have been imposed from 6 pm on Sunday till midnight of August 18 in the view of the possibility of disturbance to law and order due to the protests.

Punjab Police's ADGP Law and Order has directed the CPs and SSPs across the state to be on alert and asked them to monitor the activities of social media groups which are actively mobilizing or spreading instigating information about the scheme.

While the government points out that the 'Agnipath' scheme gives a golden opportunity to the youth to join the defence system and serve the country, Congress had said the recruitment policy is controversial, carries multiple risks, subverts the long-standing traditions and ethos of the armed forces and there is no guarantee that the soldiers recruited under the scheme will be better trained and motivated to defend the country.

Agniveers will be enrolled for a service duration of 4 years including the training period. After four years, only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will be retained or re-enlisted in the regular cadre based on merit, willingness and medical fitness. These 25 per cent Agniveers will then serve for a full term of another 15 years.

As the protests continue, a senior Army officer on Sunday clarified that the scheme will not be rolled back and said that it is the "only progressive step to make the country young". Meanwhile, the registration process for the first batch of Agniveers under the Centre's new Agnipath recruitment scheme will begin on June 24 and the online examination would be held on July 24.

Congress has urged the government to keep the Agnipath scheme in abeyance, hold wide consultations with serving and retired officers, and address the issues of quality, efficiency and economy without compromising on any of the three considerations.

Addressing the concerns over the future of Agniveers and their job security, the Centre approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the Ministry of Defence for Agniveers meeting requisite eligibility criteria and also decided to give priority to them in the recruitment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles.

A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year but a top military officer said it will go up to 1.25 lakhs in near future. The entry age for all new recruits in the Armed Forces has been fixed as 17.5 to 21 years of age. However, following protests, the Central government announced an increase in the upper age limit for the recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years for the recruitment cycle of 2022 as it has not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years.

Several state governments like Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka have announced to give Agniveers priority in state government jobs. Protests have disrupted rail services in several parts of the country. A total of 491 train services have been affected throughout the country due to the ongoing agitation, informed railway officials on Sunday. (with Agency inputs)