Agnipath protest: Police vehicle, roadways buses torched in UP's Jaunpur

A police vehicle was torched and two Uttar Pradesh Roadways buses vandalised in Jaunpur as the agitation against the Centre's Agnipath scheme spread in the state.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers protested in Meerut over the issue.

As many as 340 people have been arrested till now, including those who have been taken in custody as a preventive measure.

In Kannauj, youths staged a protest at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway demanding the withdrawal of the scheme.

Jaunpur District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma said hundreds of youths gathered on the Jaunpur-Prayagraj highway on Saturday morning and damaged vehicles, including two roadways buses and a police car.

Around 9.30 am, one of the damaged buses and the police vehicle were set ablaze.

Some motorcycles were also torched in the Lal Bazar area, he said, adding the protesters were chased by police.

According to Superintendent of Police Ajay Sahni, the protesters resorted to stone pelting and a vehicle of a local BJP leader was damaged.

Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal and Inspector General K Satyanarayan inspected the spot.

Officials said the protesters are being identified and if needed, the Gangster Act may be imposed against them. Police force has been deployed at the railway and bus stations.

In Kannauj, youths protested at Saurikh on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and handed over a memorandum to officials.

Additional District Magistrate Gajendra Singh said the protesters were sent back after explaining the Agnipath scheme to them.

Leaders of the Rashtriya Lok Dal and Aam Aadmi Party staged protests in Meerut and demanded that the recruitment scheme for defence services be withdrawn.

As many as 340 people have been arrested and police have lodged 29 FIRs in connection with the protest till Saturday, Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

The number included 145 those who have been arrested as a preventive measure under Section 151 of the CrPC.

"They can be kept in police custody for a maximum of 24 hours," explained Kumar.

The arrests have been made from nine districts, including Ballia (109), Mathura (70), Jaunpur (41), Varanasi (36), Aligarh (35).

The 29 cases have lodged in 12 districts, the maximum seven in Jaunpur (7), four cases each in Aligarh, Mathura and Varanasi and two cases each in Ballia Mirzapur.

A case each have also been lodged in Gorakhpur, Deoria, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Chandauli, Agra and Firozabad.

The Centre on Tuesday unveiled the ambitious scheme for recruitment of the youth aged between 17 and a half and 21 in the Army, Navy and the Air Force, largely on a four-year short-term contractual basis.

The youth recruited under the scheme will be known as "Agniveers". After the completion of the four-year tenure, 25 per cent of the recruits from each specific batch will be offered regular service.