'Agnipath' Protests: Internet Services Suspended In 18 Districts Of Bihar
NDTV
One person has died and over a dozen have been injured after protests took place in various of the country against the Agnipath scheme.
Authorities suspended internet services in several parts of Bihar in a bid to stop public gatherings and violent protests over the Agnipath recruitment scheme, police officials said on Saturday.
One person has died and more than a dozen have been injured in a series of protests in some regions of the country against the government's new policy to recruit soldiers for short tenures.
The Agnipath scheme or "path of fire" system aims to bring more people into the armed forces on four-year contracts to lower the average age of India's 1.38 million-strong armed forces and cut burgeoning pension costs, the government said.
Protesters, mainly young men, say the plan will limit opportunities for permanent jobs with the defence forces, which guarantee fixed salaries, pensions and other benefits.
