Fight for OROP: VK questions 'mental state'

New Delhi: A government thumping its chest over the achievements of the military was today pilloried on its policies after a former soldier committed suicide in the capital ostensibly after failing to get his "one rank one pension" that the Centre has claimed it has implemented. Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal was from Haryana, the state where Narendra Modi began his campaign for the Lok Sabha elections shortly after being named the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. With former army chief Gen V.K. Singh by his side, Modi told the rally of mostly ex-servicemen in Rewari that he would fulfil the demand for Orop within 100 days of assuming power. Today, Gen V.K. Singh said Orop should not be politicised and questioned the state of mental health of the soldier who poisoned himself to death. A son of the dead ex-serviceman today alleged that he and his family members were beaten up by policemen before being taken to Mandir Marg police station near Connaught Place. "We have been ill-treated, beaten and abused by policemen. We want justice," said Jaswant, the elder son of Ram Kishan. He said he had never heard of such conduct by policemen towards soldiers' families. The 70-year-old ex-serviceman from Bhiwani district consumed poison on the lawns behind a government building at Janpath yesterday. Grewal's family members said he was very disappointed over Orop after serving in the Army and Defence Security Corps for over 30 years. The Centre claims it has implemented Orop through a notification in November 2015. But the claim falls short of the demands of many ex-servicemen. The Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement has been continuing with a sit-in demonstration at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for more than 500 days now. The main grouse is that the government has decided to revise pensions once in five years. The ex-servicemen say it must be equalised every year. Orop means that soldiers retiring at the same rank and with the same length of service must get the same pension irrespective of the year of retirement. Major General Satbir Singh (retired) who heads the movement says the government has in fact paved the way for one-rank-five-pensions with its order of November 2015. In the instant case of Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal there is more fuzziness. In the note that the former soldier left behind - its authenticity is yet to be proved - he has addressed the defence minister. He said that despite promises, the government had not implemented recommendations of the sixth and seventh central pay commissions and Orop. He said he was also getting less pension than was his due. Grewal wrote that he served in the 105 battalion (Territorial Army) Rajputana Rifles Group for six years and 11 days after which he served in the Defence Security Corps. His total length of service, he wrote, was 30 years, nine months and 26 days. "There are thousands of soldiers like me who have been in the two services and are not getting the benefits of the recommendations of the pay commissions and OROP," he wrote. The letter is dated October 31. Defence ministry officials claimed that the promised Orop had been fully implemented. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said: "I express my heartfelt condolences. I have asked for officials to provide more details." Parrikar was today visiting forward areas near the Line of Control in Uri and was taking briefings from the army chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, the Northern Army Commander, Lt General D.S. Hooda, and the 15 (Valley) Corps Commander, Lt Gen J.S. Sandhu, in Srinagar on the ceasefire violations. In the evening Parrikar tweeted a table showing the status of implementation of Orop. It showed that the government has paid two instalments to retired soldiers totalling Rs 5,507.47 crore. Defence ministry officials said the minister had not received any representation from Grewal nor had he met the minister. They said that according to records, Grewal was being paid a pension of Rs 11,345 per month plus 125 per cent Dearness Allowance, totalling about Rs 25,500 per month. However, it is possible that his bank branch in Bhiwani, near his village of Bamla in Haryana, was not disbursing the amount in full because of miscalculation. Grewal was also said to be in debt and had loans totalling Rs 28 lakh to repay. One official said that Grewal had served in the army for six years and had not completed the mandatory requirement of 15 years of service to be eligible for full pension. The eligibility for pension of a DSC soldier who has served for most of his time in the auxiliary outfit was lower than that of a soldier who has served in the regular army. The details of Grewal's finances were still being studied, they said. But the former army chief and junior external affairs minister cast doubts on the sanity of the soldier who committed suicide. "Reason for his suicide being reported is Orop. Don't know what his mental state was. It needs investigation," Gen. V.K. Singh was quoted as saying by television news agency ANI. Grewal's family said he was very disappointed over Orop after serving in the army and the Defence Security Corps for over 30 years. Police said he, along with a few friends, had come to Delhi apparently to submit a memorandum to the defence ministry over the Orop issue. Jaswant was detained along with his brother and relatives and taken to Mandir Marg police station. He alleged that policemen assaulted him and his family members when they went to meet Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi who had gone to RML hospital to meet the soldier's family. Home minister Rajnath Singh today defended the police action of detaining Rahul Gandhi and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at RML hospital. "Whatever has to be done for risk reduction, Delhi police will do," he told reporters. "Orop is a longstanding demand and our government, the Prime Minister, has fulfilled it," said Rajnath. Later an IPS officer said Rahul and Sisodia were not allowed to enter RML hospital as this could have led to a serious law and order problem. "We will not allow any kind of politics inside hospitals in Delhi. Democracy does not mean obstruction of health services. Rahul Gandhi has been detained at the Mandir Marg police station," senior police officer M.K. Meena said.