T.N. youth protest against Agnipath in Chennai 

Around 500 youngsters from across T.N. gather near War Memorial in Chennai

Around 500 youth, who had completed physical fitness for army recruitment and were waiting for the exam, protested against the Central government's Agnipath scheme, near War Memorial in Chennai.

Police picked them up forcibly as they squatted on Rajaji Salai and took them into preventive custody. Violent protests against the scheme to recruit soldiers only for four years in armed forces, has spread across different parts of the country. Close on the heels of protests in several States against the move, around 500 youth from places such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Arani and Tiruvannamalai, gathered near the Secretariat on Saturday morning.

Police blocked them near the War Memorial as they attempted to proceed to lay a siege to the Secretariat to draw the attention of the Central and State governments. They held national flags and shouted slogans, demanding that the exam be conducted and they be recruited in the army immediately.

The protesters said they had completed physical test in January 2020 and the medical examination. “We have been waiting for last two years for recruitment. So far, the written exam was postponed four times,” said S. Sankar, a protester. “They have not announced the exam. Instead they have come up with a new scheme, dashing our hopes,” he said.

"We woke up every morning at 4 a.m. to pass the physical exam. We do not want Agnipath. We want regular recruitment in the army," said S. Ramu, another protester from Coimbatore. Additional Commissioner of Police, North, T.S. Anbu, held talks with the protestors and appealed to them to disperse from the spot. However, as they continued to squat on the road, police personnel took them into police vehicles.