Agnipath protests: Gates of ITO, Dhansa Bus Stand metro stations closed; Section 144 imposed in Gurugram 

Protests against the recently announced recruitment scheme for armed forces Agnipath have gripped Delhi, Gurugram and other parts of India. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced the closure of gates at multiple metro stations like ITO and Dhansa Bus Stand. Gates were also closed at metro stations like Delhi Gate and Jama Masjid for a brief amount of time.  

DMRC said in a Twitter update, “Due to security reasons, Gate no. 1 at ITO metro station and gate no.1 and 2 at Dhansa Bus Stand metro station are closed, all other gates are operational.” Over 25 protesting students were detained at ITO.  

In Gurugram, law enforcement authorities have imposed section 144. This implies a complete ban on gathering of four people together besides increased deployment of police personnel at major intersections. Orders have also been issued to deal with road jammers with an iron fist.  

59 trains have been cancelled in the ECR region on Friday due to the ongoing Agnipath protests. These protests also impacted states like Bihar, West Bengal, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.  

Top developments so far

1. Agnipath protests turned violent in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore as hundreds of protestors gathered and hurled stones near a railway track, prompting the authorities concerned to stop or cancel some trains. Two policemen also got injured in the incident and around 15 protestors were arrested, news agency PTI reported.  

2. Protests turned violence in Bihar as well as the Agnipath protestors gutted down several trains, cycles, benches, bikes. They also threw away stalls on railway tracks. Around 5 people have been arrested so far.  

3. The government on Thursday increased the upper age limit for recruitment under the Agnipath scheme to 23 years for 2022 for enrolment of soldiers into the Army, Navy and Air Force.  

4. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took to Twitter to hail the Centre’s decision to raise upper age limit for recruitment in defence services under the Agnipath Scheme from 21 to 23 years.  

5. Defence Minister also clarified on the relaxation in upper age limit and said, “This one-time relaxation has been given by the government. This will automatically increase the eligibility of many young people to become Agniveers. The recruitment process is going to start in a few days. I appeal to all the youth to prepare for joining the army and take full advantage of it.” 

6. Agnipath scheme Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande hailed the government’s decision to raise the upper age limit from 21 to 23 years under the Agnipath scheme. He said, “The decision of the government has been received to grant a one-time waiver, increasing the entry age of recruitment to 23 years, for the recruitment cycle of 2022.” 

7. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishor Prasad urged the youth of Bihar to withdraw their protests as other methods of recruitment have not been scrapped. He said, “I think the youths have not been able to understand the scheme properly or are confused. Both the state and centre are serious about their induction into this. I request them to take back protest and try to understand positive aspects of the scheme.”