Youths protesting against Agnipath scheme set empty train on fire in UP’s Ballia

#WATCH| #Agnipath:After gatherings at Ballia RS& stadium, sr police officers&DM talked to &dispersed students. After which,some students attempted to break window pane&set fire to an empty isolated train. Attempts of dousing underway;patrolling at diff areas underway:SP RK Nayyar pic.twitter.com/37t62q8UfV

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 17, 2022

In a statement, Ballia SP Raj Karan Nayyar said, “In the district, there was information that some students had gathered at the railway station and stadium. Senior police officers and magistrates started a conversation with them. The students were dispersed from there. While being dispersed from the railway station, they tried to break the windows of an empty train standing in the washing area. They also tried to set afire the bogey of a train stationed in an isolated area. The fire is being doused. All have been dispersed from the spot, and patrolling is underway and further action is being taken.”

Protests also erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr and Agra and some other districts on Thursday against the Centre’s Agnipath scheme. In Bulandshahr, protesters blocked the busy GT Road and raised slogans. In Agra, protesters blocked a highway.

Protesters have raised concerns over the temporary nature of the new scheme to recruit soldiers — service is only for four years, pension has been removed and there is no lifelong healthcare benefit for the soldier and his family.