It'll be a black Independence Day, say veterans demanding OROP

Protesting ex-servicemen allege they were manhandled by the Delhi police

Agitating ex-servicemen demanding implementation of One Rank One Pension were allegedly manhandled by the police on Friday, as it tried to evict them from protest hotspot Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, ahead of the Independence Day celebrations on the ground of security.

Terming the police action as "barbaric" and "undemocratic", the ex-servicemen, who have been on protest for nearly two months, wondered how can they be "security threat" when they dedicated their lives protecting the country while in service.

"How can you doubt our integrity? Or consider us a security threat? We served the country in protecting it and now we have become security threat," said a protesting army veteran.

It will be a "black Independence Day as they as they have tried to curb our independence," said group captain V K Gandhi (retired), adding, "The way the police have acted against us just a day before Independence Day it is totally unjustified."

The police said they tried to evict protestors from various outfits from Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital following a request by the New Delhi Municipal Council.

As the police and NDMC started clearing the protest hotspot, the ex-servicemen refused to go away. "I was pushed by the cops who even tore my shirt," said 82-year-old Vishambhar raising anti-police slogans.

The ex-servicemen requested Police Commissioner B S Bassi to restore their tents. "This is shocking and obnoxious. Nothing can be worse. We are the protectors of India's independence. We are requesting the police commissioner to restore our tents since we had permission. The move to remove our tents is barbaric, undemocratic and dictatorial as it comes on the eve of Independence Day," Major General (Retd) Satbir Singh, chairman of Indian ex-servicemen movement, told PTI.

A senior police officer said, "As Delhi is on a high alert ahead of Independence Day, we are removing the protestors to ensure security."

The ex-servicemen later announced that Union Minister V K Singh has conveyed to them that Home Minister Rajnath Singh was informed about the incident and he has instructed the Delhi top cop to allow them to continue their agitation.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has also asked the Delhi police commissioner not to remove the ex-servicemen protesting at Jantar Mantar.

The Narendra Modi government has been maintaining that it is committed to OROP, a key promise made during Lok Sabha polls.

Close to 22 lakh ex-servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be immediate beneficiaries of the scheme, which envisages a uniform pension for the defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement.

Currently, the pension for ex-servicemen is based on the Pay Commission recommendations of the time when they had retired.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Arvind Kejriwal came out in support of the ex-servicemen and slammed the police for trying to evict them from Jantar Mantar. He also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce acceptance of their demands of OROP in his Independence Day address on Saturday.

"Ex-servicemen being forcibly thrown out of jantar mantar? Bizarre.They protected us till yest. Now they r security threat for independence day? (sic)," Kejriwal said in a tweet. "I wud urge Hon'ble PM to announce acceptance of the demand of OROP of our ex servicemen from Red Fort tomo, (sic)," Kejriwal said in another tweet.

Defence minister admits to ‘technical difficulties’ in OROP

Amid stepped up demand for One-Rank-One-Pension, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said there are “technical difficulties” in implementing it but insisted that government will fulfil the “assurance” made to the ex-servicemen in this regard.

Asserting that the National Democratic Alliance government was committed to implementing OROP, Parrikar said it was working to fulfil the long-pending demand of the ex-servicemen. “We will fulfil the assurances that we have given in this regard... When we have said this, the government has to do it within its tenure and we will do it quite early. We are bound by our assurance. We will comply with our assurance,” he said.

Parrikar, however, said “there are technical difficulties” in implementing OROP.

An announcement on One Rank, One Pension maybe made soon, a Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said. "We are committed to the ex-servicemen and announcement for OROP maybe made soon,” Rathore told reporters.

With regard to the Opposition attack on the government over the issue, he said the issue has been pending since 1970s but the previous governments, including those of the Congress, did nothing about it.

"We have just done 18 months in power. Wait and watch. A lot of (things) will happen," Rathore said in the party headquarters in New Delhi. "One Rank, One Pension started somewhere in 1970s. Till now the UPA and Congress did not do anything... The PM had announced complete support to One Rank, On -Pension'," the minister said.

He, however, did not divulge further details saying the issue should be left here only.