agnipath: ITO metro station gates closed as AISA protests against Agnipath scheme

All gates of the Delhi Metro’s ITO station are closed, the DMRC said Friday as members of the Left-affiliated All India Students’ Association protested against the Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the armed forces and demanded its rollback. The AISA also demonstrated against police action on those protesting against the Agnipath scheme.

“All gates of ITO Metro Station are closed,” the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation tweeted around 12.40 pm as the protest escalated and some members of the student organisation were detained.

The entry and exit gates of some other metro stations including Delhi Gate and Jama Masjid were also briefly closed, the DMRC said.

The protesters held placards reading: “Immediately fill all the post lying vacant in defence forces on permanent basis”; “Rollback Aginpath scheme”; and “Wake up Modi government”.

They also raised slogans at ITO. “Agnipath wapas lo, tanashahi nahin chalegi (take back Agnipath, dictatorship won’t be allowed).”

The student group claimed several of its members were detained during the protest. No immediate response from the police was available.

“We are demanding the rollback of the Agnipath Scheme as it will lead to the contractualisation of Defence jobs. Shame on the Modi government for playing with the future of youth,” AISA National President N Sai Balaji said.