Political storm hits Delhi after ex-soldier’s suicide
OROP BACK IN FOCUS Rahul, Kejriwal detained after hospital visit, slam govt
NEW DELHI: A 70-year-old army veteran seeking uniform pensions for military personnel died on Wednesday after consuming poison, sparking an ugly political brawl that appeared set to reignite a debate over the government’s controversial retiral policy for soldiers.
Chaotic scenes broke out outside the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital as police stopped top opposition politicians from meeting the family of the deceased Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, who friends said had unsuccessfully tried to meet defence minister Manohar Parrikar before killing himself.
But Grewal’s death was soon overshadowed by political theatre, as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia were detained by police for protesting outside the hospital.
Scenes of pandemonium broke out at Mandir Marg police station, forcing police to move Gandhi and Scindia around in a bus, first towards Parliament Street police station and then towards Connaught Place police station before being finally taken to the police station at Tilak Marg.
“A family that sacrificed for the nation, what happened to them is wrong,” Gandhi told reporters. “The government should at least apologise to the family, say what happened to you was wrong.”
Political workers were also seen scuffling with policemen at the two central Delhi police stations and again at the RML hospital. Gandhi was detained twice before being allowed to go late in the evening. Kejriwal was stopped from entering Lady Hardinge Hospital and detained at the RK Puram police station. He was later released. Doctors at the hospital said the postmortemanalysiswasdelayedasthe family was yet to give their consent.
Grewal consumed sulphas tablets at around 1 pm on Tuesday on the lawns of Jawahar Bhawan, a short distance from Sena Bhawan. He was rushed to the RML hospital by his friends, all ex-servicemen who had travelled with him from Haryana. He died on Wednesday.
The death is expected to provide a handle to the opposition to attack the government over the One Rank One Pension (OROP), which came into force about a year ago.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 Government proposed review every five years
Veterans want an annual review. Their argument is a 5-yearly review will lead to 5 different pensions for the same rank. For instance, a havildar retiring in 2016 will draw a lower pension for four years till review comes around
Personnel who take premature retirement are out of the purview of OROP Veterans want all premature retirees to be eligible
Government has adopted average formula to calculate pension for personnel in the same rank
Veterans want top-of-thescale pension
Scheme was to be applicable from April 1, 2014 but later changed to July 1, 2014 Veterans want original date. They say they are being denied three months of OROP.