1 Dead In Telangana’s Secunderabad In ‘Agnipath’ Violence; 3 Trains Burnt

In UP, a mob entered a railway station in Ballia this morning and set a train coach on fire, and also damaged railway station property.

Secunderabad: One person has died and over 15 have been injured in Telangana’s Secunderabad as violent protests against the new defence recruitment scheme, Agnipath, spread to the southern state after entering the third consecutive day in Bihar, UP, and Haryana. Protests have also been reported in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.

According to PTI, Telangana police resorted to aerial firing to disperse the angry crowd at the Secunderabad railway station as protests escalated into large-scale violence and arson.

Protestors are demonstrating on railway tracks and have halted all train movement for the last three hours. Security forces are outnumbered as the railway station has been overrun by angry youth, who have already set three trains on fire.

The railways are diverting trains so that they don’t go through the Secunderabad station. The disruption began at 9 am when over 350 protestors took over the railway station.

‘East Coast Express, Rajkot Express, and Ajanta Express were set on fire by violent mobs. 71 trains – 65 from Hyderabad Multi-Modal Transport System and six express – have been cancelled so far.

In Uttar Pradesh, a mob entered a railway station in Ballia this morning and set a train coach on fire, and also damaged railway station property before the police used force to disperse them.

According to railways, Over 200 trains have been affected – 35 trains have been cancelled while 13 short-terminated- since the protests erupted on Wednesday.

Several parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have witnessed protests over the new military recruitment policy. The protest had spread to BJP-ruled Haryana and Madhya Pradesh too.