Violent protests erupt in India against new military recruitment scheme
Previously, soldiers have been recruited by the army, navy and air force separately and typically enter service for up to 17 years for the lowest ranks.The shorter tenure has caused concern among potential recruits.”Where will we go after working for only four years?” one young man, surrounded by fellow protesters in Bihar’s Jehanabad district, told ANI. “We will be homeless after four years of service. So we have jammed the roads.”Smoke billowed from burning tires at a crossroads in Jehanabad where protesters shouted slogans and performed push-ups to emphasize their fitness for service.Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh saw protests over the recruitment process for railway jobs in January this year, underlining India’s persistent unemployment problem.Varun Gandhi, a BJP lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh, in a letter to India’s defense minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that 75% of those recruited under the scheme would become unemployed after four years of service.”Every year, this number will increase,” Gandhi said, according to a copy of the letter posted by him on social media.