Agnipath: Trains Cancelled Amid Protests As Army Aspirants Call For Bharat Bandh
Aspirants protesting against the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment in Army called for a nation-wide strike on Monday.
Protests were held in several places like Jammu and Bihar. The army aspirants have been up in arms since last week after the government announced the new recruitment scheme.
Over 600 trains were cancelled on Monday amid the strike call.
Passengers were seen thronging the stations as most trains were cancelled, or delayed.
Traffic jams were reported from Delhi-Noida and Delhi Gurugram highways, while many Congress youth workers joined the protests.
Agnipath protests turned violent last week when protesters burnt buses, trains and police posts in several places in Jammu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, etc. Two people were also killed in the clashes.
Amid protests, the Army on Monday said the recruitment under the Agnipath will begin from July 22.
Under the Agnipath scheme, new joinees will be recruited on a contract of four years and 45,000 to 50,000 personnel will be recruited annually. However, only 25% of these will be retained after four years.