Rioters set fire to Indian trains in protest over short-term military contracts

The rioters set fire to a railway carriage in Patna as part of the protest (AP Photo/Sanjay Kumar Srivastava)

Violence erupted in parts of India on Thursday with thousands of angry youths setting train coaches and vehicles on fire, blocking highways and attacking police with rocks to protest against a short-term, recruitment policy for the military.

Police used batons and tear gas to disperse the protesters in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan states where they took to the streets and damaged government buildings.