Agnipath scheme row: 1 dead, several injured in Telangana's Secunderabad over protests against new military recruitment

One person died in Telangana`s Secunderabad on Friday as protests against the newly announced military recruitment policy, Agnipath, turned violent. Earlier today, agitators vandalised the Secunderabad Railway Station and set a train ablaze during a protest against the Centre`s Agnipath scheme.

Also, RAED: Agnipath scheme row: Protesters block railway tracks in West Bengal, train service disrupted

One dead in anti-Agnipath scheme protests in Telangana's Secunderabad

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Telangana Police resorted to aerial firing to disperse the angry crowd at the railway station. Speaking to mediapersons, the Superintendent of Gandhi Hospital, Raja Rao said, "Around 13 people were brought to the Gandhi hospital. One person was brought dead. After the panchama is done on the dead body, a postmorterm examination will be conducted."

For four persons pellet bullet injuries have been noticed and for others, whether these are injuries from bullets or rubber bullet it is yet to be examined. The remaining injured are being examined by the doctors on duty. "One person`s situation is critical, he has received a chest injury," the hospital superintendent said.

The official informed that an investigation is still underway and said that two persons are in need of surgery while the condition of one person is critical. Others brought to the hospital are are out of danger.

"The investigation is still on, one person received a fracture and another has an injury in the chest and now surgery is going on. These two surgeries are on. The remaining have received injuries and we are trying to take out foreign bodies. One is critical and others out of danger," Rao said.

In other parts of the country like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, protestors demonstrated for the third consecutive day. At the Secunderabad Railway station, protestors vandalised the windows of a train and torched a two-wheeler on tracks and a few bags on the platform. The Railways has discontinued trains to the area. Protestors also vandalised a TSRTC bus at Secunderabad bus station.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, protesters torched compartments of a train in Samastipur and those in another train at Lakhisarai station.

On June 14, the Union Cabinet approved the Agnipath recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the Armed Forces. Youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers and will serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years.

Agnipath Scheme was launched by the government in an effort to bring a change in the recruitment process of the Armed Forces. As the new military recruitment scheme faced a backlash by the Opposition, the Centre decided to bring in a change in the upper age limit for recruiting Agniveers. Granting a one-time waiver, the Centre on June 16, 2022, announced that the Agniveer upper age limit for recruitments via Agnipath Scheme has been extended to 23 years from 21 years.