Serampore: Anti-Agnipath protests erupted in West Bengal's Serampore, located in the state's Hooghly district, on Sunday. Protestors blocked off train service at Serampore rail station early in the day and burned effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the tracks. It was subsequently lifted after repeated requests from the GRP.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Deepak Singh, one of the demonstrators, said that the Centre should ensure an immediate rollback of the scheme, failing which he warned of similar protests in the capital. "We are protesting this oppressive scheme. The type of protests that have affected Bihar and Uttar Pradesh will start here in coming days. If the Central Government does not listen to us, we will make sure not a single train makes its way to Uttar Pradesh and Delhi from West Bengal.
After this, we will gherao the Parliament. There should not be any compromise with the security of the nation. PM Modi will understand the consequences of this move during the next Lok Sabha elections," Singh said. Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, meanwhile, opined that the policies undertaken by the Centre were 'destroying the future of the youth'.
"Modi is destroying career prospects of the youth. Providing a four-year employment opportunity is not enough. What will they do after four years? There has been displeasure among the people ever since Modi government came to power. While I do not support violent protests, I fully back their moral stance to oppose the scheme," Banerjee, who represents TMC from the same constituency, said.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the introduction of the scheme last Tuesday. Under Agnipath, candidates between the ages of 17-and-a-half and 21 - both male and female - will be recruited into the armed forces and deployed for four years. At the end of the period, there will be an assessment, whereby the tenure of 25% of the total will be made permanent. Significantly, one of the major issues centering on the intense protests, that have taken place in various parts of the country over the last 72 hours, relates to the 75% who are to be released following their assessment.
In an exclusive interview, MoS Defence Ajay Bhatt had told ETV Bharat recently that the plan was a 'well-designed' one, adding that institutions such as the Home Ministry and the Government of Uttar Pradesh were willing to absorb many of the released candidates. MHA, meanwhile, put out a statement on Saturday, saying it will absorb Agniveers in both CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) and Assam Rifles ranks following their release. The Ministry of Defence, too, assured a 10% absorption for Agnipath recruits.
