Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 16: As the violent protests against the Narendra Modi government’s army recruitment scheme “Agnipath” spread to different parts of the country, the centre on Thursday issued a clarification to allay some misgivings about the scheme and claimed that some of the concerns raised amounted to “an insult to the ethos and values of the Indian armed forces.”
Protests against Agnipath, a radical recruitment plan for the armed forces, turned more violent on Thursday in several parts of Bihar for the second consecutive day. Trains were set afire, rail and road traffic disrupted, window panes of buses smashed, and passers-by, including a ruling BJP MLA, pelted with stones by angry youth demanding the withdrawal of the new short-term recruitment scheme. Besides Bihar, protests also spread to Haryana, New Delhi, Jammu and Jharkhand and multiple other states across the country. Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have also reported violent protests.
Hundreds of young people also took to the streets in Haryana’s Gurugram, Rewari and Palwal against the scheme. A police vehicle was damaged in stone pelting in Palwal and the Agra Chowk on National Highway 19 was blocked. Phone internet and SMS services have been suspended for 24 hours in Palwal district following stone-pelting and violence. Police had to resort to aerial firing after a mob attacked them and set their vehicles on fire.
Protests were also seen at Delhi’s Nangloi Railway Station as aspirants stopped trains demanding a rollback of the decision. Similar scenes were also seen in Jammu where the police resorted to lathi-charge outside the Army’s recruitment office at B C Road as hundreds of protestors blocked the busy Tawi bridge disrupting vehicular traffic.
Due to demonstrations and vandalism at several railway stations, 22 trains from Bihar had to be cancelled and five had to stop after completing partial journeys, East Central Railway said. Baton-wielding protestors smashed glass windows of the intercity express train at Bihar’s Bhabhua Road railway station and set one coach on fire. Holding a banner saying “Indian Army lovers,” they raised slogans rejecting the new recruitment scheme.
In Nawada, the vehicle of BJP MLA Aruna Devi, who was on her way to a court, was attacked by the agitators who hurled stones at her car, leaving five persons, including the legislator, injured. The BJP office in Nawada was also vandalised. “The protesters seemed to have been provoked by the sight of the party flag, fitted on my car, which they tore. My driver, two security guards, and two personal staff members have sustained injuries,” the MLA told reporters, adding that she was “too shaken” to have registered a police complaint.
At the railway station in Arrah, police had to resort to tear gas shelling to disperse a huge crowd of protestors who pelted stones at the police. Visuals showed railway staff using fire extinguishers to put out a fire caused by protesters throwing furniture on the tracks and setting them alight. In Jehanabad, students pelted stones injuring several people including cops who chased them away to clear the railway tracks where they had camped to disrupt rail traffic. Dramatic visuals from the railway station showed the police and protesting students pelting stones at each other. The cops also pointed their guns at the protesters to scare them away.
In Nawada, groups of young men burnt tyres at a public crossing and raised slogans demanding the rollback of the tour of duty scheme. They also blocked the railway tracks at the Nawada station and burnt tyres on the track. Visuals from the spot show a huge crowd damaging railway property and shouting expletives at Modi. Many can be seen doing pushups on the railway tracks while the police try to appeal for peace through a handheld public address system.
Due to demonstrations and vandalism at several railway stations, 22 trains from Bihar had to be cancelled and five had to stop after completing partial journeys, East Central Railway said.
Baton-wielding protestors smashed glass windows of the intercity express train at Bihar’s Bhabhua Road railway station and set one coach on fire. Holding a banner saying “Indian Army lovers,” they raised slogans rejecting the new recruitment scheme.
In Nawada, the vehicle of BJP MLA Aruna Devi, who was on her way to a court, was attacked by the agitators who hurled stones at her car, leaving five persons, including the legislator, injured. The BJP office in Nawada was also vandalised.
“The protesters seemed to have been provoked by the sight of the party flag, fitted on my car, which they tore. My driver, two security guards, and two personal staff members have sustained injuries,” the MLA told reporters, adding that she was “too shaken” to have registered a police complaint.
At the railway station in Arrah, police had to resort to tear gas shelling to disperse a huge crowd of protestors who pelted stones at the police. Visuals showed railway staff using fire extinguishers to put out a fire caused by protesters throwing furniture on the tracks and setting them alight.
In Jehanabad, students pelted stones injuring several people including cops who chased them away to clear the railway tracks where they had camped to disrupt rail traffic. Dramatic visuals from the railway station showed the police and protesting students pelting stones at each other. The cops also pointed their guns at the protesters to scare them away.
In Nawada, groups of young men burnt tyres at a public crossing and raised slogans demanding the rollback of the tour of duty scheme. They also blocked the railway tracks at the Nawada station and burnt tyres on the track. Visuals from the spot show a huge crowd damaging railway property and shouting expletives at PM Modi. Many can be seen doing pushups on the railway tracks while the police try to appeal for peace through a handheld public address system.
In Saharsa, students flocked to the railway station and pelted stones when the police tried to chase them away to prevent rail traffic disruption. Violent mobs could also be seen in Chapra, carrying heavy wooden sticks and smashing state roadways buses in protest.
Protests have been reported from several parts of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh as well. On Wednesday, protests had broken out in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur and Buxar with the protesters asking what they will do after four years.
Agnipath, renamed the tour of duty scheme, proposes the recruitment of jawans on a contractual basis for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for 75 per cent of the recruited with a fixed amount but without gratuity and pension benefits. The new recruitment plan aims to cut down the government’s massive salary and pension bills and free up funds for arms procurement.
The Congress on Thursday asked the government to keep the scheme in “abeyance” and hold “wide consultations” with serving and retired officers arguing that the scheme seems to be “poorly conceived” and “hastily drawn up.” Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, former Union minister P Chidambaram said the scheme is “controversial, carries multiple risks, subverts the long-standing traditions and ethos of the armed forces and there is no guarantee that the soldiers recruited under the scheme will be better trained and motivated to defend the country.”
“We have read and heard the views expressed by retired defence officers. Almost unanimously, they have opposed the scheme and we believe that many serving officers share the same reservations about the scheme,” he said. The Congress said it has several concerns regarding the scheme – the first one being the short training and short service.
Even the BJP MP Varun Gandhi said Agnipath would give rise to more disaffection among the youths and asked the government to make its stand clear. In a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Varun Gandhi said the young population has shared their questions and doubts with him about the radical changes in the soldiers’ recruitment process which also proposes that the 75 per cent of the recruits under the scheme will retire after four years of service without pension. The Left parties demanded that the Agnipath scheme be scrapped and be taken up in Parliament for discussion, alleging that it does a ‘disservice’ to India’s national interests.
Amid the violent protests, the government released a “Myths vs Facts” document addressing the most pressing concerns raised on the radical recruitment plan for the armed forces, government sources said. The government has sought to answer most of the common issue raised by protesters to remove the misgivings about the scheme.
One of the most common issues raised was that the four-year duration is very short and their future would look insecure. The government has said those wishing to be entrepreneurs after their service as Agniveers will get a financial package and bank loan scheme. Those wishing to study further will be given a 12th class equivalent certificate and a bridging course for further studies, and those who want salaried jobs will be given priority in Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police. “Several avenues are also being opened up for them in other sectors,” it added.
On whether opportunities for youth to serve in the armed forces will decrease, the document said it would rather increase. “In the coming years, recruitment of Agniveers will be around triple of the current recruitment in armed forces,” it said.
Another concern raised by former army officers is that regimental bonding will be affected because of Agnipath. “No change is being done to the regimental system. In fact, it will be further accentuated because the best of Agniveers will be selected, further boosting the cohesiveness of the unit,” the government has responded.
On whether this scheme will harm the effectiveness of the armed forces, the government has called it a myth and clarified that the number of Agniveers to be recruited in the first year would only make up three per cent of the armed forces. “Additionally, the performance of the Agniveers will be tested before re-induction in the army after four years. Hence, Army will get tested and tried personnel for supervisory ranks,” it said.
It pointed out that such a short-term enlistment system exists in most countries “and hence is already tested out and considered best practice for a youthful and agile army.” Responding to criticism that 21-year-olds are immature and unreliable for the army, it said that most armies across the world depend upon their youths. It also clarified that at no point in time will there be more youngsters than experienced people. “The present scheme will only bring about a right mix of 50%-50%, slowly in a very long run, of youngsters and experienced supervisory ranks,” it said.
Many have raised the issue that 21-year-old youth with professional arms training who might not have a job could be vulnerable to joining terrorist groups or “anti-national” forces, the government termed it “an insult to the ethos and values of the Indian armed forces,” Youngsters who have worn the uniform for four years will remain committed to the country for the rest of their lives, it said, pointing out that even now thousands retire from the armed forces with skills but “there have not been any instances” of them joining anti-national forces.
Many former officers were upset that they were not consulted before this big move was announced. The government did not directly respond to the charge but said “extensive consultations” were held with serving armed forces officers for the last two years. “The proposal has been framed by the Department of Military Officers staffed by Military officers. The department itself is a creation of this government. Many former officers have recognised the advantages of the scheme and welcomed it,” it said.