Agnipath protest fire engulfs several trains across states

Protests against the Center’s 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme intensified in Bihar on Friday as angry aspirants set fire to at least 20 coaches of the New Delhi-Bhagalpur Vikramshila Express and New Delhi-Darbhanga Bihar Sampark Kranti Express at Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations and blocked highways in the state.

The demonstrators blocked highways at several places in Buxar, Bhagalpur and Samastipur and burnt tyres as a mark of protest, officials said.

The protests, which is into its third day in the state, caused massive disruption of railway services at Buxar and Kahalgaon, officials of East Central Railways said.

Jamalpur superintendent of railway, Umer Javed said the protestors set on fire 12 bogies of Vikramshila Express. However, there was no casualty.

Protestors also set eight bogies of Bihar Sampark Kranti on fire at Samastipur railway station demanding scrapping of the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the Armed Forces, a Railway official said.

An ECR official said around 20 trains were cancelled due to the arson, while many others were either short-terminated or run on alternate routes.

At Lakhisarai station a large number of protestors laid down on the railway tracks to block the movement of trains. They were dispersed by Railway police with the help of the local police.

Bihar had witnessed large scale protest on Thursday too against the central scheme, under which hiring in the Armed Forces has been for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for at least 75 per cent of the personnel, without any pension benefits. Hordes of aspirants had hit the streets, vandalised buildings and vehicles, stormed railway stations and set fire to train coaches demanding immediate roll back of 'Agnipath'.

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Meanwhile, violence against Agnipath scheme rocked Secunderabad railway station too on Friday as hundreds of youth set afire a train and vandalised the station. The protesters went on rampage at the station, setting afire East Coast Express, stalls and other railway property.

Demanding scrapping of the recently announced scheme, the youth sat on the railway track.

Railway and the city police were trying to bring the situation under control.

The police also opened fire in the air to control the situation.

The protesters are said to be mostly from the northern states who were in Secunderabad to appear in the Railway Recruitment Board exams.

Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, is the headquarters of South Central Railway.

In Uttar Pradesh's Ballia, a crowd gathered at the Railway Station tried to pelt stone but the police dispersed them. Soon after, some students attempted to break window pane and set fire to an empty isolated train, SP RK Nayyar told ANI.

Protestors also set eight bogies of Bihar Sampark Kranti on fire at Samastipur railway station demanding scrapping of the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the Armed Forces, a Railway official said. "Attempts of dousing the fire are under way," he added.

With protests against 'Agnipath' reported from various parts of the country, the Centre on Thursday granted a one-time waiver in the upper age limit for recruitment under the scheme by extending it to 23 years from 21 years for 2022.

(With inputs from agnecies)