Protests continue in Bihar over Central government’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme

Hundreds of aspirants disrupted rail and road traffic while police fired tear gas shells to disperse them.

Violent protest over the Central government’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment in armed forces erupted across Bihar on Thursday with hundreds of aspirants disrupting rail and road traffic while police fired tear gas shells to disperse them.

On Wednesday also, aspirants staged protests at Muzaffarpur, Begusarai and Buxar district over the scheme, disrupting road and rail traffic movement.

On Thursday, the aspirants gathered for the second consecutive day at Ara, Nawada, Jehanabad, Saharsha and other places to demand the withdrawal of the scheme to induct soldiers on short-term contract in the armed forces. At some places, they even smashed glass windows of trains and police had to fire tear gas shells to disperse them.

At Ara (Bhojpur) railway station, the protesters pelted stones at police, and railway staff were seen using fire extinguishers to put out a fire after protesters burnt station furniture on the tracks. Later, police had to open tear gas shells to disperse protesters .

In Jehanabad, the aspirants gathered at the railway track and disrupted movement of trains and pelted stones at police and public. The policemen too were seen pelting stones at protesters at the Jehanabad railway station. In Nawada, Saharsha and Chhapra railway stations and highways too, the aspirants burnt tyres and blocked movement of trains and damaged railway properties. The police at Nawada railway station were seen appealing to protesters to maintain peace.

On Wednesday too, hundreds of protesters had blocked national highways and rail tracks in different parts of the State.

The protesters had blocked national highway-28 in Muzaffarpur and disrupted movement of trains in Buxar district while burning tyres and shouting slogans like “ Bharti do ya arthi do (recruit us or get us killed)”. They said that under scheme, which was announced on June 14, only up to 25 % of the recruits or ‘Agniveers’ could get regular commission in the service and the rest would be jobless thereafter.