Protests against Agnipath scheme: Stone pelting in Haryana's Palwal, highways blocked in some parts

Hundreds of young people on Thursday took to the streets in Haryana's Gurugram, Rewari and Palwal against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment to defence services, with protesters blocking highways. A police vehicle was damaged in stone pelting in Palwal and the Agra Chowk on National Highway 19 was blocked.

In Gurugram's Bilaspur and Sidhrawali, protesters laid a virtual seize on bus stands and roads and held a protest at Bilaspur Chowk, crippling traffic on the Gurugram-Jaipur highway.

Heavy police force was rushed to these spots to curb the protests against the new scheme to recruit jawans into the army, the navy and the air force for a four-year-period followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.


"Due to a local protest, traffic is diverted at Bilaspur Chowk (NH-48). All commuters using this route are requested to take alternative routes," Gurugram traffic police said in an advisory.

"Our traffic officials are on the job and ensuring that there is no major congestion. Diversions have been made as and where required," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ravinder Singh Tomar said.

Meanwhile, the protest at Hodal came to end after two hours of blockade.

Ex-soldier and senior Congress leader Captain Ajay Yadav in a statement said that the scheme is aimed to demean the spirit of forces and cut down on benefits being given to army jawans.

"Army is not profession but passion and life. Our districts like Rewari send their sons to serve the nation every year and this demeans their passion. Over four lakh posts are vacant in the army and this cheap attempt to compensate them with small contract employment is unacceptable," Yadav said.