PHOTO COURTESY : @ScorpioTazz 

By The South Asia Times

NEW DELHI: Violent protests across India on Thursday paralyzed the country as young people rejected Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new Agnipath (“path of fire”) scheme and called it “RSS goons recruitment scheme.” 

Young Indians in several states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, New Delhi and Rajasthan held violent protests and vandalized buses, trains, and officials’ buildings while carrying out attacks on police in several areas, local media reported.

“Trains were set afire, rail and road traffic disrupted, window panes of buses smashed, and passersby, including a ruling BJP MLA, pelted with stones by angry youth demanding the withdrawal of the new short-term recruitment scheme,” NDTV reported. 

Indian main opposition leader Rahul Gandhi supported the protesters and said PM Modi pushing the country into the fire.

“no rank, no pension, no direct recruitment since 2 years, no stable future after 4 years, no respect for the army,” Gandhi tweeted. 

“Listen to the voice of the unemployed youth of the country, don't take 'fire test' of their restraint by driving them on 'Agneepath', Prime Minister,” he added.

Under the new scheme, PM Modi reportedly planning to adjust RSS goons in the army and provide an opportunity to train them for future unknown strategies.

On Wednesday, the Indian Vice Army Chief said that they will recruit initially over 40,000 young people between the ages of 17 to 21 in the next six months.

These people will recruit for four years. The announcement spread anger among the young people who were waiting to join the army and secure their future. 

However, the protesters accused PM Modi to paved the way for its party workers to train in the army and blocking other young people to get jobs in the military. 

According to police, the situation in several states is still tense and protesters are likely to hold massive rallies on Friday as well.

The new scheme was launched after the appointment of Lt Gen Manoj Pande as Army Chief by PM Modi.

Gen. Pande is a RSS-influenced officer who was promoted to the highest position in the Indian Army despite defeat at LAC at hands of the Chinese.

RSS is a Hindu extremist organization influenced by Nazism while BJP is a political wing of the organization which is currently ruling in India.

Analysts believed Gen. Pande could strengthen the existing saffronization of the Indian Army. 

Former Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane who retired in April was hailing from Maharashtra the birthplace of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Keshav Baliram Hedgewar considered the pioneer of RSS. On the other hand, the newly appointed Chief has family roots in Nagpur headquarters of RSS.

Over 250 million Muslims in India also expressed deep concerns and said the real agenda is to have a loose army of saffron Hindutva driven RSS goons who can be used against Muslims and minorities whenever needed rather than using the regular army troops. 

Prominent Indian Muslim leader Asaduddin Owaisi said BJP wants to train these people to inflict violence into the Hindutva cauldron.

“Without the required planning, the only effect of the Tour of Duty model...is letting loose of hordes of young men trained to inflict violence into the Hindutva cauldron,” Owaisi wrote on Twitter.

He added that in recent violence In Jharkhand, 15 people were shot, 2 Muslim children martyred, while 6 bullets hit one's body.

“what is happening after all [in India],” he questioned.