Retired armyman commits suicide over OROP, Rahul flays PM

The suicide by an army veteran over OROP today snowballed into a huge political show with Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other opposition leaders attacking the Modi government on the issue while there was high drama after police detained and prevented them from entering a hospital.
The Congress Vice President was detained twice and was finally released late in the evening as restrictions were put on Kejriwal's movements before he was briefly detained. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was kept in custody for close to 10 hours.
The leaders were detained when they tried to meet the family of Ram Kishan Grewal, 70, an ex-serviceman who ended his life yesterday by consuming poison on the lawns of a government building at Janpath in the heart of the national capital.

In a scathing attack on the Modi government, Rahul said the Delhi police's action was symbolic of "undemocratic" mentality of the NDA dispensation, while Kejriwal called the situation worse than Emergency and accused the Prime Minister of being guilty of "deceit" and indulging in "lies" over the One Rank-One Pension(OROP) issue.
Twelve family members of the deceased, including his son Jaswant, were detained and some of them alleged that they were thrashed and abused by police when they came out of RML hospital to meet Rahul. Grewal's body was kept at RML.
The Congress and AAP leaders also accused the Modi government of being responsible for the death of Grewal, a resident of Haryana's Bhiwani district who consumed poison on the lawns of a government building in Janpath, and demanded that Modi government apologise to the bereaved family.

The Congress alleged that the Delhi police unleashed "naked hooliganism" on the opposition leaders. Several Congress leaders including Randeep Surjewala, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kumari Selja were detained while police was seen dragging scores of AAP workers and many office bearers outside the Parliament Street Police station.

"The least this government can do is to apologise to the family of the deceased soldier for making them suffer," an angry Rahul told reporters after being finally released.
The Congress and AAP leaders called the police action an "assault on democracy and fundamental rights" while calling the treatment meted out to the grieving family as "utterly shameful" and "unprecedented. The BJP on its part accused the Congress and AAP of playing politics over the suicide.

"A martyr's family is arrested. This is Modi ji's India," Rahul told reporters outside RML Hospital from where he was detained.
"How can you arrest the son and father of martyr? And if you have not arrested them, then why are you not letting them go," he said after his request for releasing Grewal's family members was turned down.
"A new India is in the making, you have to identify it. What is happening in India today, you have to identify it. It is a result of their mentality. It is a particular type of mentality. It is an undemocratic type of mentality."

Kejriwal, who was detained outside Lady Hardinge hospital in central Delhi where Grewal's body was taken for post mortem, called the situation "worse than Emergency".
"This is worse than Emergency," the Delhi chief minister
told reporters before being taken away, while Sisodia tweeted, "This is Emergency".
Tearing into Prime Minister Modi, Kejriwal asserted that Grewal's "martyrdom will not go in vain" and emphasised on the need to take his struggle forward.
"The Prime Minister is lying to the entire country claiming that OROP has been implemented. If it was implemented then why Ram Kishan had to commit suicide? The extent of the deceit of the BJP government over the issue is unprecedented."

Surjewala called the police action "naked goondaism by Modi Government" adding, Rahul has been arrested along with sons of Grewal.
Holding the Modi government responsible for the suicide of Grewal, Congress leader A K Antony and Surjewala demanded that Prime Minister apologise to the nation and the armed forces for "misleading them" that OROP has been implemented.
"The present government is responsible for this suicide. Modi government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister, is talking for last one year that they have implemented OROP fully, but have not yet done so. They have diluted the OROP as implemented by UPA," Antony said.

The Delhi Chief Minister expressed shock over police action, saying he has every right to meet the family in his capacity as CM.
"Why Delhi Chief Minister is being illegally stopped from meeting a grieving family? This is unprecedented. The PM should apologise for deceiving the soldiers over OROP."
Rahul was initially detained for around 70 minutes in the afternoon at the Mandir Marg police station and, later in the evening, was again taken into custody along with many other party leaders at the Parliament Street Police station.
Kejriwal also attacked the Centre over issue of surgical strikes and the recent controversies on 'downgrading' of military ranks and the 'cuts' in disability pension of defence personnel.

Grewal, who the Defence Ministry sources said was receiving OROP but a lesser amount due to an error in calculating the pension by the bank, left behind a suicide note, according to his son.
Police said he along with three of his companions had come to the city apparently to submit a memorandum to the Defence Ministry over the issue of OROP. However, Defence Ministry sources said as per records, no request for appointment with Parrikar was made.
Grewal allegedly consumed poison on the lawns behind a government building at Janpath, the central area of the capital.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said he was saddened oby the death of Grewal.

"Saddened by the death of subedar Ram Kishen Grewal. I express my heartfelt condolences. I have asked officials to provide me with details," Parrikar said in a tweet.
Amid the protests by opposition parties, Union Minister VK Singh triggered a controversy when he said the "mental state" of Grewal needs to be probed before drawing conclusions about his extreme action.
"He has committed suicide. No one knows the reason behind it. OROP is being shown as the reason. What his mental state was we do not know. Let it be probed first. OROP should be kept above politics," Singh told reporters, while reacting to the incident.