Bihar turns Agnipath as violent protests rage on Day 2

Armed forces aspirants once again took to the streets in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Friday, blocking roads, pelting stones and setting trains on fire to protest against the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme.

A fresh wave of violent protests broke out in Bihar’s Begusarai, Buxar, Lakhisarai and in UP’s Ballia district for the second consecutive day, even after the central government offered a one-time relaxation in the upper age limit for the Agnipath scheme for this year.

The protesters are demanding a rollback of the short-term recruitment scheme, citing the four-year tenure as too short, and fears over their job security and pension benefits.

Here are the latest updates on the Agnipath protests raging across several states:

The Centre unveiled Agnipath on Tuesday, under which most soldiers will leave service in just four years — 45,000 to 50,000 aspirants will be recruited annually but only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission.

Hundreds of protesters laid seige to the Ballia Lakhminiya railway station in Bihar’s Begusarai district early on Friday morning. Train operations have stalled on the line after protesters squatted on the railway tracks and burnt tyres.

The ongoing protests turned violent in Samastipur, as protesters torched the AC coach of the Bihar Sampark Kranti Express.

At Khagaria, the Kosi Express was stopped by demonstrators, disrupting train operations on the route. Protesters also descended on the National Highway passing through the area and stopped traffic. They also torched tyres.