Himachal Pradesh, the state that sends hundreds of youths to serve in the Indian Army every year and takes pride in having the maximum number of Param Vir Chakras —India’s highest wartime gallantry award— during the Kargil War, witnessed unprecedented scenes this week as protests took place in Dharamshala before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival for a two-day tour.
Protesting youths —all army aspirants— took to the streets on Thursday and clashed with lathi-wielding police personnel to march to Dharamshala to disrupt Modi’s proposed road-show. They also tried to block roads leading to Dharamshala and insisted to meet the Modi.
They were protesting against the new recruitment policy Agnipath under which recruits will get four-year short-term contractual jobs in place of the existing decades-old selection process in which soldiers got permanent jobs with post-retirement pension among other benefits.
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This was the first time in Himachal Pradesh that anti-Modi slogans were raised by youths. The angry youths curiously chose the course of a small rivulet and forest tracks to converge at Dharamshala when police tried to stop them mid-way. However, they got noticed by police personnel who whisked them away in police vehicles before Modi’s road show to avoid unpleasant situation.
Angry youths also beat up policemen when they tried to push them and stop them from moving towards Dharamshala town where Modi’s road-show was to be held.
“This man is going to destroy every established institution in the country and privatise it. The Army, unfortunately, is next on his agenda,” shouted Mukesh Kumar, 24, an army aspirant.
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The youths, he said, had braved the Covid-19 pandemic but did not lose their heart in waiting for recruitment to happen this year. He added that Agnipath is a big shock as now they are offered only four years of service and thereafter no way forward.
Pankaj, another youth at the protest, said youths who had cleared their ground tests and medical fitness are left completely in lurch. He said their future is totally jeopardised.
He said, “My father is an ex-serviceman and a war casualty. We have only a small portion of land. His pension and dues received from the Army only helped to build a house and marry off my two elder sisters. What will I do in my life to fulfil his dream to see me in the Army?”
He recalled that his grandfather and an uncle also served in the Indian Army.
There are 1.15 lakh serving personnel in the Indian Army from Himachal Pradesh and another 1.30 lakh who are retired personnel, according to available data. Every year, 5-6,000 youths join the Army on average. The Covid-19 pandemic did not see any recruitments happening.
At his village in Hamirpur, Anil Thakur, father of Sepoy Ankush, a Galwan martyr during clash between Indian and Chinese militaries in 2020, termed the move as 'highly demoralising, disheartening and unacceptable'.
He said, “My son Shaheed Ankush was a third-generation soldier in the Army and he made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. My younger son, now in class 9th, is aspiring to join the force. What will be achieved if he sticks to his dream to be Ankush's role model? Pakistan and China will enter and capture India if their motivational level is compromised.
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He strongly feels the Agnipath policy “must be scrapped”.
Beside Kangra, Hamirpur, Mandi, Bilaspur, and Sirmaur are districts having hundreds of serving and retired army personnel besides many army aspirants. The youths also burnt effigy of Modi in Hamirpur town as police failed to stop them.
Protests were also held at Chamba, Una, Mandi, Jogindernagar, and Hamirpur.
The retired soldiers, when contacted, admitted on promise of anonymity that “the government is in a hurry to roll-out the new scheme which is not good for the country and also for the institution of the Army.”
They said, “You may train the youth and make them fit on handling weapons, but where will you bring a high-degree of motivation?”
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Kargil War hero Brigadier Khushal Thakur, a former Chairman of HP State Ex-Servicemen Corporation, however holds a different view.
He said, “Agnipath will definitely lead to a younger army full of josh and jazba besides providing youth an opportunity to serve the country.”
In addition to monetary benefits, this programme will contribute to upskilling and discipline for contributing Agniveers to the society subsequently as a role model.
He said, “Three aspects that merit additional brainstorming are – firstly, securing the future of 75 per cent Agniveers who would be leaving after four years. Secondly, training Agniveers in multitude of specialisation in a short period of six months. Finally, to amalgamate Agniveers with the regiments’ ethos of naam namak aur nishan”.
