Agnipath scheme: Congress to hold Satyagraha in solidarity with protestors amid violence

The Congress party announced on Saturday that it will hold 'Satyagraha' on June 19 in solidarity with the youth protesting against the new Army recruitment programme, 'Agnipath'. All MPs, Congress Working Committee members, and AICC office bearers will participate in the agitation in Delhi, it said.

The party claims that the scheme, to recruit youth into the armed forces for a period of four years, might be a 'penny-wise' but 'security foolish.' In a press conference on Thursday, Congress said the new programme was controversial, travails multiple risks, submerges the long-standing tradition of the Armed forces, and does not guarantee better training.

The call of 'solidarity' comes amid aggressive protests and violence by misinformed youth who are demanding the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme. Army aspirants are unhappy with the changes introduced under the new recruitment scheme, particularly the length of service, no pension provisions, and the age restriction that makes many of them ineligible.

The protests continued for the third straight day, despite the Centre extending the upper age limit for recruitment of Agniveers from 21 years to 23 years. Besides this, the government has also announced a post-retirement opportunity for soldiers after the completion of four year-term.

Agnipath protests

Incidents of violence, vandalism, torching of railway trains,  stone-pelting, and attacks on police personnel were seen in several parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Telangana.

Agitations spilled over to several districts in Bihar as youths protested by lying down on railway tracks and blocking roads, demanding the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme. Huge crowds gathered in the Bihar's Chhapra, Jehanabad, Munger, and Nawada, demanding the withdrawal of the Agnipath programme. A group of protestors at Bhabua Road Railway Station blocked the tracks before setting a train on fire.

A similar protest against the scheme was witnessed in Uttar Pradesh's Balia, where a huge mob vandalized a train at the Ballia Railway Station. A train at Secunderabad Railway Station was also torched by angry protestors in Telangana.

Agnipath is a pan-India short-term service youth recruitment scheme for the Armed Forces. Those inducted into the service will be called 'Agniveers' and will be employed for four years where rigorous military training will be imparted to them. The age group for eligibility under the scheme is 17.5 to 21 years (23 years, as a one-off exception for the year 2022). The starting annual package will be Rs 4.76 lakh, which can be increased to 6.92 lakh by the end of the service.