Anti-Agnipath Protests: Delhi Police assures law and order situation under control

With the government rejecting the cancellation of the Agnipath military recruiting scheme, certain organisations have called for a ‘Bharat Bandh’ today to coincide with the continuing rallies calling for the cancellation of the plan.

As the police strengthened security across the city and its surrounding areas, parts of Delhi experienced traffic congestion. Massive traffic congestion were reported on the Delhi-Noida Direct Flyway as well as the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. Congress leaders staged a ‘Satyagraha’ in the national capital’s Jantar Mantar to show sympathy with armed forces aspirants protesting the ‘Agnipath’ plan. According to Delhi Minister Gopal Rai, numerous organisations would organize a unified demonstration at the protest venue.

Thousands of cars were stranded at the Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Noida entrance crossings due to security checks following the Bharat Bandh called by some parties in response to the Agnipath military recruiting plan. Police at the national capital’s access gates were closely monitoring all cars to ensure that no Agnipath protesters entered the city.

On June 17, a group of Congress leaders resolved to see President Ram Nath Kovind on June 20 to inform him of the alleged mistreatment and harassment of party MPs by Delhi Police during rallies over the ED’s interrogation of Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.

Protests against the government’s ‘Agnipath’ army recruiting plan resumed on Monday. Various state governments increased security in response to the armed military aspirants’ ‘Bharat Bandh’ demand.

Massive protests erupted last week when the Union government revealed the disputed Agnipath programme to recruit youth into the Armed Forces’ three services. Army candidates have been protesting some of its conditions in 11 states, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Assam.