Student organisations stage stir against Agnipath scheme in Delhi

New Delhi, June 17 (PTI): Activists from various student organisations hit the streets here on Friday to protest against the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme, leading to closure of gates at some metro stations and keeping police on their toes.

The Delhi Police said no permission was granted to these groups to stage demonstrations.

Even as the protests against the scheme escalated across the country, Delhi remained relatively quiet. Police made traffic arrangements to ensure that the commuters were not inconvenienced due to the stir.

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The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) claimed that the main gate of its Raisina Road office here was barricaded by the Delhi Police without assigning any reason, turning the premises into a "police cantonment".

The police, however, said they had just made "adequate security arrangements" as the IYC had no permission to take out a protest march.

"Our entire office on Raisina Road has been barricaded. We are not being allowed to go outside and the members trying to enter the office are being stopped and detained. No reason has been given for this barricading," IYC's national media in-charge Rahul Rao said.

A senior police officer said prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were issued in the area, banning large gatherings.

The activists of several student groups, including the left-affiliated AISA, staged a protest against the Agnipath scheme here and termed it "disastrous".

The All India Students' Association (AISA) alleged that the scheme is nothing but a design to destroy permanent jobs in the armed forces.

The protesters raised slogans such as "Agnipath wapas lo, tanashahi nahi chalegi (take back Agnipath, dictatorship will not work)" and also held up placards that read: "Immediately fill all vacant posts in defence on a permanent basis" and "Rollback Agnipath scheme".

Both the AISA and the Students' Federation of India (SFI) alleged that several of their members were "brutally detained".

A senior police officer said 17-18 people gathered at the ITO to hold a protest. They were detained and immediately removed from the area.

The entry and exit gates of some metro stations were closed as AISA members protested against the defence recruitment scheme and demanded its rollback. The gates were opened subsequently.

At Khajuri Khas in northeast Delhi, police registered a case against some unidentified people for allegedly trying to block traffic and damaging a bus in protest against the scheme.

Several organisations, including the Sanyukt Rojgaar Andolan Samiti (SRAS), the Desh Ki Baat Foundation and the AISA, have given a protest call for Monday against the scheme.

The Chhatra-Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), the Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA), the SFI and the SVS will also participate in the protest.

Protests have erupted in several states since Wednesday against the Agnipath scheme to recruit soldiers in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force for a four-year period, followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.