Politicians throng Grewal’s village

Gandhi and party colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia were made to sit in a police van, after they walked a little distance during a Congress-organised candlelit vigil from Jantar Mantar to India Gate on Thursday evening. They were detained near Janpath Metro station.

“The way his family members were dragged and abused in the police station was incorrect. This affects the morale of our soldiers. The government must apologise,” Gandhi said as Congress protestors shouted slogans against the Narendra Modi government.

Gandhi and Scindia, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia were detained on Wednesday too when they tried to meet relatives of the retired soldier at a central Delhi hospital where the body was kept. Grewal’s family members were detained too.

The Congress leader found support on this count from an unusual quarter — BJP ally Shiv Sena, which has been criticizing the government on various issues of late. “What kind of an attitude is this? The action of Delhi police was condemnable and shameful,” Sena leader Arvind Sawant said.

Political theatrics overshadowed Grewal’s death after he took Sulphas tablets at a park in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, allegedly for being denied an audience with defence minister Manohar Parrikar, and died the next day.

“Won’t let his death go in vain. Will snatch OROP from the central government,” Kejriwal said in Bhiwani.

BJP leaders lashed out at the Congress and Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party for “politicizing” the death. But comments from Khattar and Singh, a retired army chief, were viewed as insensitive and faced criticism.

“He committed suicide for personal reasons. Our Prime Minister implemented OROP