Journalism of Courage
Protesting against the Agnipath scheme and demanding that Army recruitment written exam be held at the earliest, a group of youths went on rampage in Ludhiana, Saturday, as they stormed inside the railway station and vandalised property.
Before damaging the property at the railway station, they also damaged a police vehicle near Durga Mata Mandir, said police.
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Police said that most of the protesters had their faces covered and carried sticks and iron rods. They stormed inside the railway station premises and vandalised glass window panes, ticket counters etc, said police.
CCTVs cameras installed in the railway station premises and in its vicinity showed that a group of agitators smashed windowpanes, glass pillars and other property inside railway station.
Earlier they came together while conducting a protest march which soon turned violent and senior police officials from Ludhiana police and Government Railway Police (GRP) reached the spot.
When senior police officials reached the spot to pacify them, the youths said that it has been nearly two years that the government was not holding Army recruitment written exam. They said that a job in Army was the only hope for them and their families. Demanding immediate rollback of Agnipath scheme, youths said that exam should be held like earlier and recruitment process should be started immediately as they have been preparing for it since two years. A police official was also seen folding hands in front of protesters requesting them to stop the vandalisation but the rampage continued before the protesters dispersed and fled from the spot.
Ludhiana JCP (rural) Ravcharan Singh Brar said that the protesting youths were demanding written exam for Army recruitment which was not held after they cleared physical test some time back. “However it seems some anti-social elements entered the group and created violence. They vandalised police vehicle near Durga Mata Mandir and then went to railway station to damage property there. We are in the process to identify the agitators who have been captured in CCTVs while creating violence. Most of them had their faces covered so it was a planned conspiracy,” said the officer.
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Ludhiana police commissioner Kaustubh Sharma said it was probably a planned conspiracy. “Agitators arrived together at the railway station and went on to vandalise property.”
Two FIRs have been registered in the incident. MF Farooqui, ADGP (Railways), Punjab, said that an FIR was registered at GRP police station Ludhiana for the damage of railway property under the sections 353, 148, 149, 427 of IPC against 70-75 unidentified persons. “We have detained 6-7 suspects,” said the ADGP.
Another FIR has been registered at division number 8 police station against unidentified persons under the sections 353, 427, 440, 188, 186, 148 and 149 of IPC and section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to the Public Property Act, against unidentified protesters for vandalising the police vehicle, said CP Sharma.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) would also initiate action, said the sources.
