Police lathi-charge Agnipath protesters in Haryana’s Rewari
Police action after armed forces aspirants protesting outside bus stand resort to vandalism, damage traffic signals
Haryana Police resorted to lathicharge after armed forces aspirants protesting against the Agnipath recruitment scheme turned violent and damaged public property in Rewari town on Thursday.
Also watch: Train set ablaze as protests against Agnipath scheme escalate in Bihar | Videos
The youngsters gathered outside the bus stand in Rewari, disrupting transport services for an hour. Thereafter, some of the protesters vandalised traffic signals, prompting the police, who were deployed in large numbers, to resort to the canecharge.
Rewari district is at the forefront in Haryana in terms of sending youngsters to the armed forces.
The aspirants said they were unhappy with the scheme that has no provision for pension, short duration of service and the 17.5 to 21 years age restriction that now makes many of them ineligible.
“The government should roll back this decision and hold the pending recruitment drives without any changes. Where will we go after working for four years? In such circumstances, we won’t be eligible to even get married. We are protesting for our rights,” a young protester said, requesting anonymity.
Youth ends life in Rohtak
A 21-year-old army aspirant from Jind district allegedly died by suicide at a rented paying guest accommodation in Rohtak early on Thursday.
Police said the youngster hanged himself when his roommates had gone to a friend’s room. A spokesman of the Rohtak police said the youngster was found hanging from the ceiling when one of his friends opened the door.
He was rushed to the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), where doctors declared him brought dead.
The youngster’s father, who is a retired army personnel, said that his son aspired to join the armed forces, too. He claimed that his son had earlier qualified the physical and written test for the army but could not make it to the cut-off. A case was registered under Section 174 of the CrPC.
According to his friends, the youngster was upset over a personal issue.