Agnipath protests: 260 people held, 6 FIRs registered in UP

LUCKNOW: At least 250 people have been arrested and six FIRs lodged until Friday in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the violent protests against the Centre's Agnipath recruitment scheme. According to a statement provided by ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar, the FIRs were lodged in Firozabad, Aligarh, Varanasi, and Gautam Buddh Nagar districts.

Among the 260 arrested, 109 people are from Ballia followed by 70 from Mathura, 31 from Aligarh, Varanasi (27) and Gautam Budh Nagar (15). On Friday, a mob vandalised a train at the Ballia railway station in Uttar Pradesh during a protest against the Agnipath recruitment scheme.

Meanwhile, protests against Agnipath policy have left Bihar in flames when mobs set fire to dozens of railway coaches, engines and stations and torched BJP offices, vehicles and other properties. Many Army aspirants for the armed forces are unhappy with the changes introduced under the new recruitment scheme, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions for those released early, and the 17.5 to 21-year age restriction that now makes many of them ineligible.

Following the anti-Agnipath protests, the Central government on Thursday extended the upper age limit for the Army recruitment scheme from 21 years to 23 years. The AGNIPATH Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces and provide a fresh lease of 'Josh' and 'Jazba' whilst at the same time bringing about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy Armed Forces - which is indeed the need of the hour, the defence ministry highlighted.

The selection will be the exclusive jurisdiction of the Armed Forces. A total of 46,000 Agniveers will be recruited this year.