Agnipath: Protesters in Telangana clash with police, Congress chief Revanth Reddy arrested

Meanwhile, the police detained A Subba Rao, who runs Sai Defence Academy at Guntur which coaches youths aspiring to join the defence services, on the suspicion that he was the one who instigated the protesters to attack the Secunderabad railway station on Friday. Rao had gone to Hyderabad from Guntur on Thursday and left on Friday evening.

Hundreds of youngsters aspiring to join the Indian Army after clearing physical and medical tests laid siege to the Secunderabad railway station on Friday to protest against the Centre’s recently announced Agnipath scheme, and damaged railway property worth crores. Damira Rakesh died at the station after the railway police opened fire to prevent protesters from burning train coaches.

Rakesh, like the other agitators, was awaiting the announcement of dates for the written test for the Common Entrance Exam (CEE) for over two years when the Centre suspended all ongoing recruitments to the Indian Army and announced a short-term no-pension Agnipath scheme with an upper age limit of 23 years.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to Rakesh’s family and a government job to an eligible member.