National News / Speed ​​of trains stopped due to protest against 'Agneepath', Railways canceled 369 trains

Zoom News : Jun 18, 2022, 08:55 PM
Delhi: The opposition to the 'Agneepath scheme' brought by the central government for recruitment in the three armies of the country did not stop even on Saturday. If a bandh has been called in Bihar today, miscreants ransacked the station in Ludhiana, Punjab. At the same time, the Railways also canceled 369 trains on Saturday in view of the agitation. These include 210 mail and express and 159 local passenger trains.

Officials said that the railways has also partially canceled two more mail/express trains, taking the total number of trains affected during the day to 371. Announcing the Agneepath scheme on Tuesday, the government had said youth in the age group of 17-and-a-half to 21 years would be inducted for a four-year term, while 25 per cent of them would be retained for regular service.


Protests have started since the announcement of the plan

After the announcement of the scheme, demonstrations started in other parts of the country including UP, Bihar. Soon this demonstration turned violent and youths torched several trains and ransacked the station. In the wake of train services being disrupted and property damaged, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Saturday said the government would work towards further strengthening the Railways Act to protect railway property.


Appeal not to take the law into your own hands

Vaishnav also appealed to the protesters at a TV summit not to take law into their own hands. "The government will listen to all your concerns and they will be resolved," he said. Protests are taking place in Bihar and other states against the 'Agneepath' scheme introduced by the Center for recruitment in the armed forces on a short-term basis. More than 340 trains were affected and more than seven trains were set ablaze during the demonstrations on Friday.

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