MILITARY RECRUITMENT PLAN FUELS PROTESTS
Thousands of young Indians took to the streets in angry demonstrations Friday, blocking trains and setting fire to railroad cars and tires to protest a cost-cutting move by the government that they say will shatter their dreams of a more secure job in the military.
The protests began Tuesday after the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced changes to how it would recruit new members of the armed forces. By Friday, demonstrations had turned violent and spread to multiple states and the capital, New Delhi.
At least one person died, and several others were injured. The casualties occurred in the southern state of Telangana after police opened fire to dispel the crowds, according to a hospital and witnesses.
The government has described the moves as essential to making the country’s armed forces “younger, fitter” and more “diverse,” but many
experts say it is aimed at reducing the country’s defense budget, more than half of which is spent on salaries and pensions.
Under the new system, 46,000 people ages 17 1⁄2 to 21 would enroll this year, to serve four years. After that, up to 25 percent of them would be eligible to continue with a longer military career. The rest would get a small payout at the end of their service but no pension.
Hundreds of thousands of young people seeking job security in a long-term military career saw the announcement as another blow to their dreams.
“What will we do after four years?” said Prince Raj, 23, who is from the eastern state of Bihar and hopes to become a soldier. “Who will give us a job? Our protests will continue until the government accepts our demands.”
As the protests spread, reaching multiple districts in at least six Indian states Friday, Modi’s government announced some concessions on the new plan. It would raise the upper age limit for the entry of new recruits to 23 years, allowing those who missed the opportunity of being recruited during the pandemic to apply.