Agnipath:Telangana Congress seeks withdrawal of cases against protesters

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 24 : Demanding the central and state government to withdraw the cases imposed on the youth involved in the agitation against Agnipath Scheme that turned violent on June 17 at Secunderabad Railway station, Congress leader Mallu Ravi said that this shows the "double standards" of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
"On one side, state chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) blames Bharatiya Janata Party for the killing of a youth in protest, announces ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh, and asks the party's MLAs-ministers to participate in the deceased final rites...the local police, on the other side, files cases on the youth, which shows party's double standards," Ravi told ANI.
During the protest against Agnipath Scheme at Secunderabad railway station on June 17, one person was killed while 12 others received injuries as an aftermath of the police's firing.
Mallu Ravi, the Vice president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) also said "it is the Centre's failure that when the youth is preparing for Army selections, and all the exams were completed and only one written test was left, they have announced a Scheme (Agnipath) which is a temporary job...out of four years-- six months are for training and remaining three and half years for service is like a contractual job of the government."
Later in the conversation, he also said that Congress has requested to cancel the Scheme but the government is not giving any clarity on the matter to the youth.
"Agnipath Scheme should be immediately withdrawn by the government and recruitment should be held in a regular way. If they do not do that, it would mean injustice to the country," said Ravi.
"The Railways police have filed the cases on almost 2,000 youth who want to prove that they are against the scheme," he added.
"Agnipath Scheme announced by Modi government led to huge agitations throughout the country, wherein the agitators went to Central Government offices and railway stations and showed their anger at the central government properties," he said.
The protestors involved in Secunderabad Railway station violence have been booked under sections 143, 341, 186, 427 r/w 149 of the Indian Penal Code, and 3 Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act(PDPPA) for vandalizing the TSRTC bus outside Secunderabad railway station.
According to the police, as many as 45 protestors were arrested in connection with the Secunderabad Railway Station violence in Telangana.
Addressing the media, Government Railway Police (GRP) had also said that the agitators have damaged railway property worth around Rs 20 crore and claimed it was a "big conspiracy" by army recruitment coaching centers.