Agnipath Scheme Protest: Student bodies call for bandh in Bihar, RJD extends support

Scores of youngsters descended on the Yamuna Expressway and blocked traffic movement briefly, prompting Gautam Buddh Nagar police to lodge an FIR against 225 protesters and arresting 10, officials said.They said eight police personnel and a driver of a privately-run bus suffered injuries in violence during the protest in Jewar area of the district, adjoining Delhi in western Uttar Pradesh.The movement through Jewar toll plaza between Greater Noida and Mathura-Agra was blocked for around an hour from 12 pm, they said.

Inter-state train services to and from West Bengal were affected on Friday due to ongoing protests in various parts of the country against the Centre's newly introduced 'Agnipath' scheme for recruitment in defence services, officials said.Train services on the Sealdah-Bangaon route in North 24 Parganas district were also disrupted for a brief period this morning as a group of students held a demonstration on railway tracks protesting against the scheme, an Eastern Railway official said.

BJP on Friday rallied its leaders to put up a stout defence of the new recruitment initiative for the armed forces with its senior leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh terming it as a "golden opportunity" for the youth to serve the country.The party leaders also lauded the government's decision to raise the upper age limit for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme to 23 years from 21 for this year.BJP president J P Nadda said it shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully seized of the concerns of the country's youth and is making efforts for their bright future.

Students organisations in Bihar, protesting against the Centre's newly introduced ‘Agnipath' recruitment scheme for armed forces, have found support in opposition RJD as they called for a 24-hour state-wide bandh on June 18.The organisations, led by Leftwing All India Students' Association (AISA), have sought immediate rollback of the scheme – under which hiring has been proposed for a four-year-period in the armed forces followed by compulsory retirement for at least 75 per cent of the personnel without any pension benefits.Announcing RJD's support to the bandh call, the president of its Bihar unit, Jagadanand Singh, said the short-term recruitment scheme is detrimental to the interests of the nation's youth.

Political blame-game began after a man allegedly died in a firing during a protest related to 'Agnipath' scheme (recruitment in the army) that turned unruly in the Secunderabad Railway Station on Friday.Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy described it as the death caused by a killing by both TRS and BJP. The State BJP president B Sanjay Kumar termed the firing at the station as a “pre-planned act and the ruling TRS government failed to prevent the incident.

In the wake of ongoing protests against the "Agnipath" military recruitment scheme, section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure was imposed in Haryana's Gurugram district on Friday.Gurugram District Magistrate Nishant Kumar Yadav issued the order on Friday to impose a ban on gatherings of four or more people for that "may create obstruction, disturbance or interference in the maintenance of law and order."Police were on high alert at public places like railway stations, bus stand, markets and national highways power grid among other areas in the district.

The selection process by the Indian Air Force for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme will start from June 24, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Friday amid violent protests in several states against the new military enrolment model. I am pleased to inform you that the upper age limit for the first induction has been increased to 23 years," Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said."This change would permit a larger section of the youth to enrol Agniveer. The selection process for the Air Force will start from Jun 24," he said.

Internet services will remain temporarily suspended in Kaimer, Bhojpur, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Buxer, Nawada, West Champaran, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Begusarai, Vaishali and Saran districts from today till 19th June: Bihar govt

I didn't anticipate any protest like this. We worked on Agnipath scheme for almost a year & half. It's single biggest Human Resources Management transformation in Indian military. Protests are happening due to misinformation & misunderstanding of the scheme: Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar