Hyderabad: Agnipath protests pre-planned; aspirants in touch on WhatsApp

Hyderabad: Were the violence and arson at the Secunderabad Railway Station on Friday planned in advance? If not the violence, the protest at least was planned, with messaging platform WhatsApp having played a crucial connecting role, police sources say.

At least 5,000 Army aspirants from Telangana who were awaiting the announcement of dates for written exams are learned to have been in contact with each other on WhatsApp, using which they are suspected to have planned to storm the Secunderabad Railway Station and launch a protest.

Sources said these youngsters had created WhatsApp groups too where they regularly shared tips for examinations and also for updates on the Army recruitment process. They also used Instagram and other social media platforms to stay connected and exchange information.

It is learned that the aspirants, post the Central government’s announcement on the Agnipath scheme, have for the last few days widely publicised a plan to storm the railway station and the ways to reach there. Of the nearly 500 protestors, several are suspected to have reached the city on Thursday and stayed at various places including near the railway station. Around 8 am on Friday, after proper communication, they all reached the railway station and barged into the premises and staged the protest, which later took a violent turn, leaving one dead and several others injured.