Following the union government’s unveiling of the Agniveer scheme in cooperation with all three armed forces, throngs of ‘youth’ protestors rushed to the streets and vandalized public property under the guise of ‘protests’ and marches. So-called armed forces aspirants damaged public property, set fire to trains, and brought life to a standstill in various Indian states, demanding that the government scheme be reversed. In another such incident, a school bus carrying small kids and teachers was attacked in Darbhanga in Bihar.
#Bihar: Violent mob attacked a school bus carrying children in Darbhanga.#AgnipathScheme #AgnipathScheme #Agneepath pic.twitter.com/YFv6WC2DLZ
— Nishant Azad/निशांत आज़ाद🇮🇳 (@azad_nishant) June 17, 2022
The bus carrying school children aged between 5 and 6 years was stuck in the road when the attackers started pelting stones on vehicles, including police vehicles in Darbhanga. Several police vehicles were torched, buses and other vehicles were damaged in stone-pelting and the roads were blocked. The school bus also got stuck there and faced stone pelting, and the terrified kids were crying. Later the bus managed to leave the spot with the help of police.
In UP’s Mathura, the so-called young protestors hurled stones at an old couple passing through the road. They were saved as police reached and fired on the protestors to push them away and secure the lives of people stranded on the road.
UP : मथुरा में उपद्रवियों का हल्ला बोल, पुलिस ने बुजुर्ग दंपति को पथराव से बचाया #AgnipathScheme pic.twitter.com/SVhYzvY4kz
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 17, 2022
Another video is going viral over the internet in which some protestors can be seen saying that if the government doesn’t repeal the scheme, they will become terrorists instead of joining the army. A fellow protestor says, “Agar Sarkar Kanoon Wapis Nahi Legi To Majburi Me Hum Aatankwadi Ban Jayenge.” (If the government doesn’t take this back, we will become terrorists in helplessness).
Several trains were set ablaze at various stations by the anti-Agnipath scheme protestors, resulting in the cancellation of large number of trains across the nation. Railway stations at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh, Samastipur and Aarah in Bihar, and Secunderabad in Telangana were attacked and trains were set ablaze by the rioting ‘youth.’ The East Coast Express was attacked and its coaches were set ablaze at Secunderabad Railway Station. Similarly, several coaches of the Jammu Tawi-Guwahati was burnt in Samastipur. Petrol bombs were also hurled in the vicinity, endangering the lives of individuals, particularly children, who were already terrified by the violence.
The most ghastly was the attack by arsonists and goons on East Coast Express at Secunderabad Station. Passengers, including children, fled in panic as petrol bombs were hurled.
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) June 17, 2022
This is coordinated anarchy, not protest against Agnipath#BharatKeAgniveer
pic.twitter.com/kX3srjoqEA
The Bharatiya Janata Party Office in Bihar’s Madhepura was also set ablaze by the protesting mob who went on a rampage.
#BREAKING : बिहार के मधेपुरा में BJP कार्यालय पर हमला, उपद्रवियों ने आग लगाई#AgnipathProtests #Agnipath pic.twitter.com/gB6luILBiB
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 17, 2022
At the Islampur Railway station in Bihar’s Nalanda district, 3 AC coaches of an express train were torched by the arsonists. The officials at the railway station struggled to control the fire which endangered the lives of the passengers on the platform.
बिहार : नालंदा के इस्लामपुर स्टेशन पर खड़ी एक्सप्रेस ट्रेन में उपद्रवियों ने आग लगाई, 3 AC बोगी जलकर राख#Agnipath #AgnipathProtests pic.twitter.com/4jNrEpzA1n
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 17, 2022
In the Buxar district of Bihar, a protestor said that one cannot work on a mere salary of twenty-one thousand rupees per month. Anguished by the introduction of the scheme, the youth, who seemed to be unclear about the details, stressed that pension should be deducted from the people and leaders who earn salaries of lakhs.
Bihar: बक्सर में सेना भर्ती के ‘अग्निपथ’ के विरोध में छलका युवाओं का दर्द
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 16, 2022
कहा- “पेंशन काटना है तो, 2-3 लाख सैलरी लेने वाले मंत्रियों की पेंशन काटिए”#AgnipathRecruitmentScheme pic.twitter.com/9aPMF4UkSe
It is discernible from the remarks of the protestors that their concern is more about the monetary benefits and the tenure attached to the scheme than the valour and opportunities attached to it. The aggressive hordes demonstrating in various places do not appear to have the necessary etiquette for joining the army. These violent crowds appear to be politically and purposefully driven by apathetic motives, and they do not appear to be part of the community of defence exam aspirants.
