Protests against Union govt’s Agnipath Scheme for armed forces recruitment erupt across the country
Young armed forces aspirants across several northern Indian states today held violent protests against the Agnipath, or Tour of Duty, Scheme for short-term induction of personnel in the armed forces (mostly in the army, also in the navy and air force). The protests have been especially forceful in Bihar, one of the primary recruitment bases for the Indian Army. Places in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, New Delhi, Jammu, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand have also been rocked by protests. Police had to lathi-charge to disperse crowds and also made arrests.
According to media reports, the argument of the protesters against the Agnipath Scheme is threefold:
- Only a four-year term in the armed forces, momey earned from which would not be enough as many youngsters from poor families look up to army jobs to feed their families
- No pension provisions for those released early (after the four-year term, only 25 per cent woud be inducted for long-term service)
- Age restriction for application to 17.5 to 21 years, which would make many of them ineligible (after the sustained pressure, late in the day, the government announced a relaxation, but only as a one-time measure, in the upper age limit by two years, to 23)
Also, during the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment has been very slow or non-existant. Now, candidates who had given written and medical tests against notifications issued by the army in several districts of Bihar have been told they would have to apply all over again as recruitment of soldiers from now on would be only through the Agnipath Scheme or Agnipath Yojana (who would be called Agniveers).
An empty train was set on fire in Chhapra in Saran district of Bihar; train services were distupted in Jehanabad, Gaya, Navada, Munger, Samastipur and Sitamarhi, among other places. Large protest rallies were taken out in several places and stones pelted.
In Haryana’s Palwal, internet services, dongle services and SMS too have been suspended, to remain in force for the next 24 hours. Rewari, Charkhi Dadri and Rohtak also witnessed protests. Traffic was blocked on the Grurgram-Jaipur highway.
In Madhya Pradesh, protesters damaged and vandalised public properties in Gwaliro’s Birla Nagar railway station. Some trains were vandalized and nearby tracks blocaded by logs and tree branches. Movement of trains was affected in Jhansi division of North-Central Railway.
Protests were held aoutside the Army Recruitment Office in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand.
Protests happened in Delhi’s Nangloi. Youths blocked tracks in Delhi too, and stopped a train going to Old Delhi station from Jhind in Rajasthan. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Union government to give youths the chance to serve the army for a longer term, and not just for four years.
In Jammu, protesters first blocked the busy Tawi bridge and raised slogans against the government, followed by marching towards the Army Recruitment Office on BC Road and holding a demonstration outside its main entrance.
In Uttarakhand, youths took out protests in the capital Dehradun, shouting slogans and blocking traffic movement. Several people were arrested.
All the protests that took place across the northern part of the country were in states that are a major source of recruitment for the army.
The Railways said 34 trains were cancelled and 74 were running late due to the protests.
Several armed forces veterans and major opposition political leaders have spoken up against Agnipath, despite assurances by the government of post-Agnipath service educational support (three-year bachelor programme at IGNOU) and jobs (preference during paramilitary force recruitments by the Centre and job preference announcements by the chief ministers of BJP-ruled UP, MP, Haryana and Uttarakhand).
Many veterans say the ‘Tour of Duty’ concept should have been tried out initially on a pilot basis to gauge its effectiveness. There are serious doubts whether soldiers would be ready to serve the army after only six months of training, which is what recruits would go through as per the Agnipath Scheme.
Secondly, they say that post-retirement employment will become a major issue: as its is, even post-military service jobs have always been a big issue in India, and on top of that, those with only four years of experience would not get any advantage. Another issue related to lack of employment is the security risk a fully arms-trained and motivated but unemployed person might pose to society.
With such large-scale protests across the country and so many major flaws pointed out, it remains to be seen how far the BJP government would go to push the scheme in its entirety.
Harping on the fact of the saving on expenses through this short-term recruitment scheme, a benefit being harped by government sources, but given the disadvantages mentioned above, senior Congress leader Chidambaram tweeted out his party’s press conference note, which said the Agnipath Scheme “may turn out to be a case of ‘penny wise and security foolish’ “.
