Youth protest against the newly announced Agneepath scheme on the Jalandhar-Delhi National Highway in Jalandhar, Saturday, June 18, 2022.
Highlight
- The move was taken amid violent protests against the scheme in various parts of the country.
- Government continues its ‘Agneepath’ scheme for short-term recruitment in the Armed Forces
- Recruitment rallies under Agneepath to be held in August, September, October across India
Agnipath SchemeAccording to government sources, around 35 WhatsApp groups have been banned for spreading fake news on the new recruitment policy.
Screengrabs of some WhatsApp groups have surfaced highlighting messages inciting to promote violence.
However, it was not immediately known whether information about these groups or whether any action has been initiated against their administrators.
The BJP on Sunday hit back at the opposition parties, especially the Congress, for politicizing the new Agneepath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the opposition parties are politicizing the reforms of the armed forces.
“Agneepath is a scheme that should not be politicised. It is sad to see issues related to the country and the armed forces being politicised, but some people do their dirty politics by bypassing national security. Today, the way Lt Gen Puri did. Explained, the plan after that, all apprehensions have been allayed. Reforms in the armed forces go back to 1989 and were also recommended by the Kargil Review Committee after the Kargil War,” Patra said.
Patra said that “it is very sad that the youth are being misled by some people who do not want the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ to be successful.”
Meanwhile, the police arrested nine persons and detained several persons for their alleged involvement in violent agitations in Saharanpur, Bhadohi and Deoria districts and inciting youths to protest against the Agneepath Military Recruitment Scheme. Officials gave this information on Sunday.
Four people were arrested in Bhadohi and at least eight were detained in Deoria. He said that those arrested in Saharanpur are said to be members of various political parties.
Saharanpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Akash Tomar said, “We have arrested five people in connection with the Agneepath protest. All are above 25 years of age and associated with different political parties. As candidates of the Army. They were involved in provocation. The youth will oppose this plan.”
The arrested people have been identified as Parag Pawar (26), Sandeep (34), Saurabh Kumar (28), Mohit Chaudhary (26) and Uday (26).
,With inputs from PTI, IANS,
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