Army veteran's suicide stirs up political storm in Delhi
Ex-Serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal's alleged suicide in protest over the "One Rank, One Pension" (OROP) issue sparked a political war in Delhi. According to Defence Ministry, Grewal was one of the revised pension scheme's beneficiaries but received a lesser amount due to a miscalculation by the SBI branch in Haryana's Bhiwani district. SBI's miscalculation led to his pension being reduced from Rs.28,000 to Rs.23,000.
What is OROP?
The One Rank, One Pension scheme was the basis for determining the pension of Indian armed forces until 1986. Under OROP, every soldier who retires in the same rank gets the same pension, irrespective of his date of retirement. As of now, soldiers who retired more recently receive more pension than those who did earlier, because pensions are dependent on the last drawn salary.
Ex-servicemen continued to protest over OROP issue
The Centre implemented OROP, which had been pending for decades, in 2015. A committee, under the Chairmanship of Retd. Patna HC Chief Justice L Narasimha Reddy was constituted to look into any anomalies arising out of OROP implementation. Despite the government's contention, it fulfilled the Armed Forces' demands by implementing OROP; ex-servicemen continued to protest saying four of their primary demands haven't been met.
Ex-serviceman ends life over OROP issue
A 70-year-old ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison on the lawns behind Jawahar Bhavan, where the External Affairs Ministry is located. He and three others came to Delhi to submit a memorandum to Defence Ministry over OROP issue. In his suicide note, Grewal wrote, "I am sacrificing my life for my country, my motherland and for my brave fellow jawans."
Army veteran's suicide stirs up political storm in Delhi
Ex-Serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal's alleged suicide in protest over the "One Rank, One Pension" (OROP) issue sparked a political war in Delhi. According to Defence Ministry, Grewal was one of the revised pension scheme's beneficiaries but received a lesser amount due to a miscalculation by the SBI branch in Haryana's Bhiwani district. SBI's miscalculation led to his pension being reduced from Rs.28,000 to Rs.23,000.
Grewal wanted to meet Defence Minister Parrikar
According to the police, they received a call at around 1:30 pm on Tuesday about Grewal's suicide after which he was rushed to the hospital. Grewal's friends Pirthi Singh and Jagdish Rai said the ex-serviceman came to Delhi to meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar over the OROP issue. However, contradicting Grewal's friends' version, Defence Ministry clarified he didn't seek an appointment with Manohar Parrikar.
Leaders have made a queue
Grewal's friend Jagdish Rai stated, "Till Tuesday, no leader contacted any relative, but since Wednesday morning, various leaders of AAP and Congress have made a queue to meet Ram Kishan's family."
