Bharat Bandh: Top development on protest over Agnipath scheme

CHENNAI: India’s three-service chief announced the recruitment timelines not deferring the recruitment plan.

Following nation-wide protests against the government’s new military recruitment scheme in more than 10 states during the past week, several organisations involved in a national shutdown on Monday – Bharat Bandh.

The Ministry of Railways notified on Monday that over 500 trains had been cancelled due to the nationwide protest over the Agnipath scheme.

The key highlights of the Bharath Bandh and Agnipath scheme are as follows:

1) In all, 450 protestors have been arrested in UP. It was claimed that WhatsApp messages were employed to gather crowd and to agitate violence in Ballia, Mirzapur and Deoria of UP.

2) In Tamil Nadu, the issue of platform tickets has been restricted at all railways stations in Chennai division of the Southern Railways, until further orders, given the proposed Bharat Bandh, in order to conserve the safety and security of the passengers.

3) Due to agitation over the Agnipath scheme, Ministry of Railways had ordered the complete cancellation of 181 Mail Express and 348 passenger trains. While 4 mail express and 6 passenger trains stay partially cancelled, there are no diverted trains.

4) Nearly 71 commuter trains were also dismissed in and around Delhi, in the wake of the protests.

5) Additional security has been deployed in several states in the view of the aggravating protests over the new military recruitment scheme and Bharat Bandh. Section 144 has also been imposed in few parts of the country.

6) All schools in Jharkhand and Bihar remain closed, as per the order by district administration.

7) Congress workers are to hold peaceful protests across the country against the so-said ‘anti-youth’ Agnipath scheme.

8) Besides, the Navy will recruit women sailors for the first time through the new Agnipath scheme in 2022. Among the 3,000 naval agniveers to be inducted this year, 10-20% are likely to be women recruited for the training.