Ex-serviceman who changed his village

NEW DELHI: The 70-year-old retired soldier from Haryana, who committed suicide in the Capital early on Wednesday over the one rank one pension (OROP) scheme, had won accolades for his contribution to social service and for changing the face of his village — Bamla.

Ram Kishan Grewal started working for the welfare of his village in Bhiwani and became the village sarpanch after retiring from Defence Security Corps as a subedar in 2004 after serving the unit for 28 years.

Simultaneously, he kept working for the welfare of ex-servicemen and joined protests for the implementation of the OROP scheme.

Grewal, who was leading a protest by former Haryana servicemen against OROP, reportedly reached Delhi on Monday to meet the defence minister with an application stating that despite the implementation of the OROP, the soldiers have not received the increased pension as per the sixth and seventh pay commission along with the due arrears.

While working as the sarpanch, Grewal not only helped open schools for girls, but also brought a water pipeline to the village, solving the water crisis and sanitation problems. He was also awarded the ‘Nirmal Gram Puruskar’ by the then President, Pratibha Patil, in 2008 for the initiative.

Grewal also received the Shankar Dayal Sharma award for his contribution to social service and received a letter of appreciation from General Nirmal Chandra Vij, 21st chief of the Army staff, Indian Army.

“The school in the village was only till Class 10. My father fought with authorities and got senior secondary unit included. A separate branch was opened for girl students so that they are able to study till class 12,” Jaswant, Grewal’s son told HT.

Prithvi Singh, a resident of Bamla, who came to Delhi after learning of Grewal’s death said, “During his tenure as the sarpanch, he transformed Bamla.”

During the OROP protests last year, Grewal virtually shifted his base to Jantar Mantar.

“He was a part of all the major protests. He really felt for the cause and was certain that his efforts will not go for a waste,” Singh said.