Agnipath row: Two dozen people, including Cong workers, detained by Noida police

At least 24 people, including around a dozen Congress leaders and workers, were detained by police in Noida on Monday while they were moving towards Delhi to participate in anti-Agnipath protests, officials said.

The action came amid a call for 'Bharat Bandh' by a section of people who have demanded the rollback of the new central government scheme for recruitments to the armed forces.

Police personnel, including senior officers, were deployed at the border points of Gautam Buddh Nagar district, adjoining Delhi, and inspection of vehicles intensified in view of the call for the strike, the officials said.

The intensified checking led to slowing down of vehicular movement at Delhi-Noida border points like the DND and the Chilla routes, with the traffic snarls impacting hundreds of cars and two-wheelers including those of office-goers.

Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Alok Singh also hit the ground to oversee the security deployment in the western Uttar Pradesh district, which had witnessed violence last week in the week of the Agnipath scheme's announcement.

"CrPC Section 144 is already imposed in Gautam Buddh Nagar commissionerate. All forms of demonstrations or group marches are prohibited. The adjoining Delhi Police had also banned similar gatherings. It has been done under a well thought-out and coordinated mechanism," Singh told reporters.

"Police personnel have been deployed in adequate number at all our national highways and expressways (passing through Gautam Buddh Nagar), border areas of the district, stations of public transport and people's movement is being monitored," he added.

Police have detained two dozen people as a preventive measure in view of the law and order situation, Singh said.

"Today, 24 people, who wanted to go to Delhi for various reasons, have been detained. Since prohibitory orders are imposed in Delhi against gatherings, therefore, these people were detained here," he said.

A senior police official said among those detained are about a dozen Congress workers including the party's Gautam Buddh Nagar officer-bearers.

On Sunday, the Gautam Buddh Nagar police said several "anti-social elements" had mixed with aspirants of armed forces during the protests against the Agnipath scheme to disrupt law and order, vitiate atmosphere across Uttar Pradesh.

Police also warned that FIRs would be registered against persons found engaged in activities in violation of law and strict action would be taken against them.

They urged people to help the police identify the anti-social elements who are engaged in the protests and also appealed to them to caution youngsters against demonstrations.

Protests erupted in several states since Wednesday against the Centre's Agnipath scheme for recruitment of soldiers between 17.5 and 21 years of age into the Army, the Navy and the Air Force for a four-year period followed by compulsory retirement for most without gratuity and pension benefits.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)