The Delhi Police Crime Branch will investigate the suicide of ex-serviceman Ram Kishan Grewal, who ended his life over One Rank One Pension (OROP) on Tuesday.
Grewal amid tight security was cremated in his native village in Haryana on Thursday, with the funeral attended by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Grewal ended his life by consuming poison at a park in New Delhi on Tuesday.
His death re-ignited fresh political controversy with both Rahul and Kejriwal attacking Narendra Modi government over the One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue. The AAP chief accused the Centre of not only cheating the soldiers, but also exploiting the Indian Army’s surgical strike on terror launch pads for electoral gains. Kejriwal was himself detained by the Delhi Police when he tried to meet the family members of Grewal. Today, he announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the kin of deceased during the funeral.
Later in the day, both Gandhi and Kejriwal were detained and stopped from entering a hospital in the national capital where the ex-serviceman’s body was kept.
On Thursday, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar too condemned the suicide and lashed out at the Modi government, accusing it of maintaining double standards towards the soldiers.
He is survived by his wife, five sons and two daughters. He served in the Indian Army’s Infantry Battalion for six years and then in the Defence Security Force for three decades. He retired from the Army in 2004 after having attained the rank of subedar.
The ex-servicemen have been demanding the implementation of OROP scheme, which has been pending for the past 40 years.
