OROP protester commits suicide in Delhi park

An ex-army man who was part of the protest to demand One Rank One Pension for the armed forces committed suicide by consuming poison on Tuesday evening in a park here,

Ram Kishan Grewal left behind a suicide note, whose contents are not known, police said.

“He along with other ex-army officers went to give a memorandum to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan yesterday (Tuesday). He consumed poison at a park later,” a police official said.

The body has been sent for post-mortem at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in central Delhi.

Grewal, who was a Subedar, had served as part of 105 Infantry Battalion (T.R.) Rajasthan Rifles for six years, a letter he wrote to the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on October 31 said.

“We (ex-armymen) haven’t received what we were promised as per One-Rank One-Pension scheme. Nor have we received the benefits of the Sixth and the Seventh Pay Commissions,” the letter said.

“I have worked in 105 Infantry Battalion (T.R.) Rajasthan Rifles for six years and 11 days, and after taking discharge from there joined the Defence Security Corps (DSC). My overall tenure runs up to 30 years nine months and 26 days. Thousands of armymen like me who worked at these two places haven’t received the benefits of the preceding two pay commissions,” the letter added.