Reuters reported on Thursday (6/16), the protests first erupted in the eastern state of Bihar on Wednesday (6/15) and have since spread to neighboring states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The protesters, who are mostly young people, reportedly set fire to ruling party offices, attacked railway infrastructure, torched several trains and cars, blocked roads and lit tires on the roads.

Authorities tried to deter protesters and police reportedly fired warning shots in the northern state of Haryana after mobs threw rocks at the home of a government official. There is currently no information on potential victims.

Meanwhile, in Palwal district, Haryana, local authorities have been forced to shut down mobile internet access for the next 24 hours to prevent further chaos.

The outrage comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government announced an overhaul of the recruitment process for India’s 1.38 million soldiers, aimed at lowering the average age of military personnel and cutting public spending.

Under the new system, dubbed the “Agnipath” (path of fire), men and women between the ages of 17 and 21 will only be able to join the Indian Armed Forces for a four-year term, and only one in four recruits will be allowed. to return to serve. permanently.

Meanwhile, the old system allowed young people between the ages of 16½ and 21 to enlist in the military for a minimum of 15 years and also offered them a pension for their service. For this reason, conscription is seen as an attractive career for many young people as it offers stable pay and social housing.

Agnipath will make these opportunities inaccessible to the vast majority of India’s youth, who are already facing a staggering 26% unemployment rate.

“Where are we going after working for four years?” a protester told Indian news agency ANI.

“We will be homeless after four years of service,” he said.

The new system has sparked heated debate among state recruits, veterans, opposition leaders and even members of Modi’s ruling party, and protesters are now calling on the government to roll back announced reforms.

A member of Modi’s BJP party, Varun Gandhi, wrote an open letter to Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday, warning that under the new system, 75% of those recruited would find themselves unemployed after the expiry of their their four-year contract.

“Every year that number will increase,” he said in a social media post.

Other politicians have pointed out that the proposed four-year tenure for new recruits will not be enough to maintain the effectiveness of the Indian army.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the main opposition party, said in a tweet that “When India faces threats on two fronts, Agnipath’s unprovoked scheme reduces the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces.”

The government has defended the proposal, arguing it would bring a “younger profile” to India’s military and usher in transformational change towards a more tech-savvy armed force.

The Agnipath system is intended to introduce a total of 46,000 young people into the regular framework of the armed forces this year, where they are expected to receive a wide range of military skills and experience, discipline, form physique, leadership qualities, courage and patriotism.