The State of Bihar is witnessing unprecedented violence and vandalism by armed force aspirants over the announcement of the Agnipath recruitment scheme by the Indian government.
Influential Youtubers and coaching institutes from the State are adding fuel to the fire of unrest and chaos by weaponising misinformation and inciting aspirants to take to the street in protest.
A prominent journalist named Manish Kashyap, associated with Sach Tak News, was seen provoking students by falsely claiming that recruitment for the Agnipath scheme will be done through private agencies.
“First, the Modi government sold the State-owned companies and realised that the youth were not objecting to their actions. Now, they are pushing to make the institute of armed forces, a private entity,” he had claimed in a Youtube video.
Kashyap further claimed, “The recruitment for 4 year period will be done by a private agency. They will then hire you for a year, on completion of your service in the army, and then kick you out.”
एक #Youtube वीडियो में यह दावा किया जा रहा है कि आने वाले समय में अग्निपथ के तहत होने वाली आर्मी भर्ती किसी प्राइवेट एजेंसी के द्वारा की जाएगी।
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 17, 2022
PIBFactCheck:
▶️ यह दावा #फ़र्ज़ी है।
▶️ भारत सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई घोषणा नहीं की गई है। pic.twitter.com/cGKP23lVMz
SK Jha, an educator who boasts of 6.8 lakh subscribers on Youtube, was seen fear-mongering students and asking them to emulate the JP Andolan of 1974. It may be recalled that Jayprakash Narayan had mobilised students in Bihar and held demonstrations against the misrule of the Bihar government.
“India is going through another JP Andolan. There is a fire in youth. You keep recruitments shut for 4 years and then bring a scheme, which has no head and tail…I don’t support this scheme,” he announced.
“Whoever has given the idea of this scheme to the government, I will make his effigy and burn it down… The State is under fire. We had given you the responsibility. Do your duty,” he further warned.
Jha continued with his provocation, “You have betrayed the children, who aspire to become a soldier after watching the movie Border…Those sitting in power today must know that we can remove you from your position too.”
Another educator named Kajal, associated with Future Times coaching, also misled the students through a Youtube video. She claimed that the Indian government changed the definition of youth and narrowed it down to individuals between 17.5-21 years of age.
She also claimed that the youth recruited under the Agnipath scheme will be akin to a ‘short tour’. “You are brainwashing children,” she asserted. The educator also accused the Indian government of comprising security over petty politics.
It must be mentioned that the State of Bihar had witnessed violence over tests conducted by the railway recruitment board. Many coaching centres, including that of Khan Sir, had come under the scanner for inciting violence. About 400 unidentified people were booked for destroying railway property.
Demands of students and violent protests against Agnipath scheme
One of the grievances of the armed forces ‘aspirants’ is that only 25% of the Agniveers, recruited under the new scheme, will get the opportunity to continue for a full term. Many have also cried foul over the lack of pensionary benefits.
Some of the students have also complained that the recruitment in the Indian army was halted for a period of 2 years due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. They claim that their future will be shrouded in obscurity with the implementation of the new scheme.
“It takes us 3 years to prepare for Indian army exams. We prepare for 3 years and get to serve only 4. What is there for us after we retire? The government is saying that we will get to join the IT sector. What will I do? Become a security guard. Is that what I am preparing for?” said a protestor on News 24.
In a bid to hold the State to ransom and force the government to withdraw the Agnipath scheme, the students resorted to violence and vandalism. Damage to private and public property and large-scale arson attacks were observed in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
The grim law and order situation, created by the ‘armed forces aspirants’, forced former Army General VK Singh to rule that they are unfit to become part of the Indian army.
