Agnipath Scheme Protests: Schools closed, exams postponed in Jharkhand amid calls for Bharat Bandh; Check details here

Agnipath Scheme Protests: Schools in Jharkhand will remain shut on Monday in view of the Bharat bandh called over the Agnipath recruitment scheme, officials said. The ongoing examinations of classes 9 and 11 have also been postponed, they said. Centre’s Agnipath scheme to recruit soldiers into the Army, the Navy and the Air Force for a four-year-period has been facing flak since its onset with several job aspirants, student organisations and opposition party members protesting against the scheme across the country and demanding its roll back. While the government stands firm on roll out of the scheme, classes and exams are getting affected due to the ongoing situation.

Jharkhand school education department has ordered school closure and postponed exams for Classes 9 and 11 for today.

"In view of the bandh called by certain organisations, it has been decided that all government, as well as private schools, will remain closed on Monday," School Education and Literacy Department secretary Rajesh Kumar Sharma told PTI. "We do not want school students, especially those who travel by bus, to face any trouble. We have seen in Bihar that students were forced to get down from a bus as it was set ablaze," he added. Fresh dates for the postponed exams will soon be announced, he said.

As many as 483 train services were cancelled on Sunday due to protests in different parts of the country against the Centre's 'Agnipath' scheme. In Uttar Pradesh, 387 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violent protests. The three services of the military on Sunday came out with a broad schedule of enrolment under the scheme and warned those who indulged in violence and arson will not be inducted.

Protests have disrupted rail services in several parts of the country. A total of 491 train services have been affected throughout the country due to the ongoing agitation, informed railway officials on Sunday. All schools in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur will also remain shut, as per the order by the district administration.