Agnipath protest: Security beefed up in Andhra's Guntur, 200 suspects taken into custody

Guntur: Security has been beefed at Guntur Railway station with police force deployed in large numbers in view of the anti-Agnipath protests across the country.

According to the police, around 200 suspects have been taken into preventive custody.

Guntur Superintendent of Police Arif Hafiz said, "Heavy police have been deployed at the Guntur Railway station. In the wake of the Agneepath Scheme, some youths are protesting in Secunderabad, Bihar and other places across the country. To avoid any such incident at the ARO, we have taken precautionary measures at the Guntur Railway station. So the DSPs, CI, SI, Constable and others are deployed to maintain law and order situation in Guntur."
He further urged the protestors to protest peacefully.

"Police will not object to peaceful protests. But if they damage the Government's property and cause harm to the public then we won't keep quiet. We will file cases and it will affect your future. We have taken 200 suspects under preventive custody," said the Guntur SP.

Protests have erupted in various parts of the country against the new recruitment scheme in the Armed Forces. In some places, the protests turned violent as trains were set ablaze.

Agitators vandalised the Secunderabad Railway Station and set a train ablaze during a protest against the Centre's Agnipath scheme. The protestors vandalised the windows of a train and torched a two-wheeler on tracks and a few bags on the platform. One person died as protests turned violent.

Railway Police also registered a case against protestors under Sections 143, 147, 324, 307, 435,427, 448, 336, 332, and 341 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to Anuradha, Secunderabad Railway SP, said, "Around 1500 to 3000 people protested. They held stone-pelting also in which some police personnel got injured."

"We will take steps to ensure no disruption to train traffic. We will take the necessary steps to prevent such situations from happening again," she added.

The Central government is being sharply criticized by the Opposition parties over the Agnipath recruitment scheme and demanded its withdrawal. (ANI)