Agnipath aspirants must pledge they did not take part in violence: Defence ministry

Agnipath aspirants must pledge they did not take part in violence, arson, said defence ministry on Sunday."Indian Army's foundation in discipline. No space for arson, vandalism. Every individual will give a certificate that they were not part of protest or vandalism. Police verification is 100%, no one can join without that," said Lt General Anil Puri, Addit'l Secy, Dept of Military Affairs, briefing media. "And if any FIR lodged against them, they can't join...They (aspirants) will be asked to write as part of the enrollment form that they were not part of the arson, their police verification will be done," he said.

"We had not anticipated the recent violence over this scheme. There is no place for indiscipline in the Armed Forces. All candidates will have to give a written pledge that they did not indulge in any arson/violence," he further said. The defence ministry's statement comes at a time when India witnessing protests against the Agnipath scheme.Agnipath, which the NDA administration has labelled a "revolutionary" initiative, has sparked outrage from a variety of quarters. While the new military recruitment programme has been widely criticised by the opposition, violent protests are taking place around the country to demand its repeal.Meanwhile, the Narendra Modi government has promised a slew of fresh concessions in an attempt to appease demonstrators enraged by the new Agniveer military recruitment scheme, which has sparked widespread unrest across the country.