Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, Nov 02: Ex-serviceman Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal had been trying to meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for the last two days over the issue of One Rank One Pension (OROP) but the minister refused to meet him, says Havildar Ashok Chauhan (Retd) who has been holding sit-in along with Ram Kishan and scores of other ex-armymen for around two years at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Ram Kishan committed suicide Tuesday night in Delhi.
“We have been sitting at Jantar Mantar for 507 days. The OROP which was declared by the government was not done properly, and this is why one of our fellow armymen (Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal) committed suicide yesterday. For two days, he had been trying to meet Defence Minister over the issue of OROP. But the Defence Minister refused to meet him. We do not know what came to his mind or what kind of talks he had (with officials) there that he committed suicide. This is very condemnable for the country,” said Havildar Ashok Chauhan (Retd) while talking to IndiaTomorrow.net here at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a letter dated 31st Oct 2016 has appeared in which Ram Kishan had addressed the Defence Minister urging him to remove shortcomings in the OROP scheme approved by the government. But very next day, he committed suicide leaving behind a hand-written note on the same letter.
However, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, while expressing his sadness over the death of Subedar Grewal, has said he did not receive any such letter.
“I express my heartfelt condolences. I have asked for officials to provide me details,” Parrikar has reportedly said.
Expressing his grievance over OROP, Havildar Ashok Chauhan said, “PM has spoken everywhere that he has given OROP but this has not been implemented on the ground and that is why this situation was created that a person committed suicide. Media should reveal the truth about OROP.”
“I myself have written several letter to the Defence Minister but till date they have not held a meeting with us,” he further said.
Letter of retired armyman Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal who committed suicide in Delhi on 01 Nov 2016.
Ram Kishan’s suicide has angered ex-armymen.
Speaking to IndiaTomorrow.net, another retired armyman Naik Raghbir Singh said, “In last 507 days of our protest no representative of the government came to us to talk. We are very sad that one of our brothers committed suicide. We don’t want it happen again. This is not an issue of money; now it is the question of our prestige. We want justice.”
“The government announced in public that they have given OROP (One Rank One Pension). Are we fools that we are sitting here if government has given us OROP,” he asked.
He also urged all ex-servicemen not to take such extreme step like that of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal.
