Agnipath row: Varanasi authorities to ask protesters to pay for damage to public property

District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said 36 buses were damaged and a loss of Rs 12.97 lakh was incurred in the protests on June 17

The administration in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi district is planning to make those who had indulged in torching of buses and other vehicles during the recent protests against the Agnipath scheme pay for damages to the public property.

According to the sources, the district authorities had estimated the damage caused to public property to be Rs 12.07 lakh. ''This amount will be realised from 27 people who are currently lodged in the district jail after being arrested during the violence,'' a senior official said in Varanasi on Tuesday.

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The official said that a total of 36 vehicles, including some UP Roadways buses, had been damaged during the violence. ''These 27 people hailed from Varanasi and the adjoining districts of Mau, Azamgarh and Jaunpur,'' he added.

He said that the administration had sent a proposal in this regard along with the evidence, including CCTV footage, photographs and videos of the violence to the competent authority in Prayagraj.

The official said that the district administration was trying to ascertain if more people were involved in damaging public property. ''We will make everyone pay for the damage if his name crops up in the list,'' he added.

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Large scale protests had rocked several towns and cities across Uttar Pradesh last week in protest against the Agnipath scheme. The protesters had torched buses, trains, damaged public properties and blocked traffic on busy roads and highways.

Police said that 64 FIRs had been lodged against hundreds of unidentified people and as many as 1,120 people had been taken into custody in connection with the violence across the state.