Agnipath protest: Agitators indulge in arson at Secunderabad Rly station

HYDERABAD: The protest against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme relating to recruitment in the armed forces spread to the South on Friday when unidentified miscreants went on the rampage at the Secunderabad Railway station here, setting on fire a parcel coach of a passenger train.

The agitators shouted slogans against the Centre demanding normal recruitment of army jobs, South Central Railway sources said.

The agitators, numbering about 300-350, pelted stones and set a parcel coach of a passenger train on fire, they said.

Some stalls in the railway station suffered damage, they said.

The agitators pulled out cargo from the parcel coach and dumped it on the tracks and set fire leading to disruption of some train services.

The identity of the agitators was yet to be established, they said.

There were widespread protests in some parts of the country on Thursday demanding the centre to roll back 'Agnipath' scheme unveiled by the Ministry of Defence which is a pan-India merit-based recruitment scheme for enrolling soldiers, airmen and sailors. Trains were set afire, public and police vehicles attacked and personnel injured as protests over 'Agnipath' snowballed and swept across several states including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on Thursday.

Under the scheme, young persons will be provided an opportunity to serve in the armed forces as 'Agniveer' for a period of four years, including training period.