OROP Suicide Row: Here’s What Happened Today

A political tug-of-war erupted in Delhi today (2 November) after news broke out of a retired soldier’s alleged suicide over the non-implementation of the one rank, one pension (OROP) scheme.

The deceased, Ram Kishan Grewal of Haryana’s Bhiwani district, was a former Army jawan who had come to the capital to protest the government’s alleged turnaround on the implementation of OROP. He reportedly consumed poison yesterday (1 November) on the lawns behind a government building in Janpath.

As reported by The Hindu, a senior police officer told them “that the 69-year-old Ram Kishan consumed poison around 1.30 p.m. even as he and four others accompanying him were waiting to meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to submit a memorandum reiterating their demands on the OROP scheme.”

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who visited the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital to meet with the grieving family, was detained outside the hospital by the police and then taken to the Parliament Street police station.

Later, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who went to the hospital to see the body, was prevented from doing so by being denied entry into the hospital. He was then detained at the Mandir Marg police station for over 70 minutes and then let off. He tweeted:

Gandhi was detained once again in the evening.

Gandhi found the ex-servicemen’s son Jaswant and his family detained at the police station too. Later, Congress released a video in which Jaswant alleges that he and his family were “abused and thrashed” by the police when they tried to meet Gandhi. In the video, the cops are seen pulling Jaswant even as the he is pleading them to not do it.

As per IANS, “police claimed that Grewal's family was detained because it was creating a ruckus. Sisodia was told by an officer that anyone can be detained for 23 hours without showing any documents.”

NDTV reports that “the police said they had detained Jaswant Grewal after he joined Aam Aadmi Party workers in impromptu protests outside a hospital.”

Other Congress leaders, like Randeep Surjewala, Kiran Choudhrie and Jyotiraditya Scindia were also detained. Scindia was detained for protesting against manhandling by the police.

AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also detained by the police during his attempt to meet the grieving family.

The Delhi Police, on its part, defended its decision to detain the leaders. Delhi Police Special Commissioner M K Meena said, “First, AAP leaders came and they were detained because there was a lot of disturbance. Later Congress leaders were not allowed. Despite our advice, Rahul Gandhi came to the hospital.”

A Delhi police statement said that no arrests were made related to the incident.