Army job aspirants protest against Agnipath scheme, block highway in Punjab

RUPNAGAR/ CHANDIGARH: Army job aspirants took out protest marches against the in Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab on Sunday and blocked vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Una national highway in Anandpur Sahib for an hour.

Amid protests, police have been directed to monitor the situation very closely and take suitable preventive action to ensure peace.

According to police, a group of youths from villages around Anandpur Sahib in Punjab's Rupnagar district staged a protest, demanding the Army recruitment process to continue as earlier and immediate withdrawal of the Agnipath scheme.

The protesters raised slogans against the BJP-led central government and blocked vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Una national highway in Anandpur Sahib for an hour. A heavy police deployment was made to prevent any untoward incident.

Another protest was held in Hoshiarpur district. Hundreds of aspirants took out a protest march from the Army ground to Mata Rani Chowk in Hoshiarpur district's Mukerian and burnt effigy of the Union government to protest against the Agnipath scheme.

There have been protests against the Agnipath scheme in many parts of Haryana and a few parts of Punjab in the past few days.

In a communication to all police commissioners and senior superintendents of police (SSPs) from the Addl DGP (Law and Order), it has been stated that these protests are being mobilized through social media platforms, hence there is a need to activate social media cells and monitor activities of groups which are actively mobilizing or spreading instigating information about the scheme.

The local police shall monitor the situation very closely and take suitable preventive action to ensure peace in the area. Offices and installations related to central government departments shall be strongly protected while security around other vital installations has to be strengthened.

Senior police officers have been directed to personally involve themselves in monitoring these protests and remain stationed where the protesters gather. Commissioners of police and SSPs have been directed to tie-up with district magistrates for deployment of a duty magistrate.

Local police may resort to take action as per law if anyone indulges in damage to public property, according to the communication.

Police commissioners and SSPs shall remain in close contact with local central armed police forces commander and request them to keep their force on standby in case of response to any eventuality, it says.

The central government on Tuesday unveiled the Agnipath scheme, under which youths between the age of 17-and-a-half and 21 years would be inducted in the Army, Navy and the Air Force for a four-year tenure.

Twenty-five per cent of the recruits will be retained for regular service. The new scheme was projected by the government as a major overhaul of the decades-old selection process to enhance the youthful profile of the three services.

On Thursday, the upper age limit was raised to 23 years for 2022 as protests against the new model for enrolment of soldiers into the three services spread. The announcement of the new scheme came in the backdrop of recruitments into the military remaining stalled for over two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In attempts to quell the protests, the home ministry on Saturday announced reserving 10 per cent vacancies in the central armed police forces and the Assam Rifles for 'Agniveers' and a three-year relaxation in the upper age limit.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also approved a proposal to reserve 10 per cent of the job vacancies in the defence ministry for 'Agniveers' who meet requisite eligibility criteria.