The alleged suicide of Army veteran Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal over the One-Rank-One-Pension (OROP) issue in Delhi snowballed into a huge political showdown on Wednesday. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was detained awhile by police for making “unathorised” attempts to meet the family members of the victim in Dr Ram Manohar lohia (RMl) Hospital. Rahul was taken to Mandir Marg Police Station and were released an hour later.
Grewal, 70, from Haryana’s Bhiwani district allegedly committed suicide by consuming poison over the OROP in the lawns behind the Jawahar Bhavan, which houses the Ministry of External Affairs, on Tuesday evening, said New Delhi Deputy Commissioner of Police Jatin Narwal. Grewal had come to Delhi on the October 31 to protest over the OROP at Jantar Mantar.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too was detained outside lady Hardinge Hospital in Central Delhi around 7.45 pm after Rahul was taken into custody for the second time in the day and taken to the Tughlaq Police Station for an hour. later Kejriwal was taken to the RK Puram Police Station. But police sources said the Delhi CM refused to leave the police station despite being released by police. However, Kejriwal claimed in his tweet that he was being held in detention.
High voltage drama started when Sisodia, along with Delhi Cantt MlA Surender, came to the RMl Hospital, where Grewal succumbed after hours of treatment. After Sisodia, who wanted to meet the family members of the deceased, was not allowed into the hospital, he started protesting following which he was taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.
After a while, the Congress vice-president came to the hospital to meet the family. He too was denied entry, after which Rahul had a heated argument with the cops there. He was then taken to the Mandir Marg Police Station and detained along with Jyotiraditya Scindia and Ajay Maken. He was released an hour later.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police detained the protesting family members of Grewal at the Cannaught Place Police Station. When Rahul went to meet Grewal’s family there, they were taken to the Tughlaq Police Station and were released in the evening.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had gone to the RMl Hospital to meet the family members of Grewal, but he was denied entry. He later went to the lady Hardinge Hospital, where Grewal’s body was taken for post-mortem. But Kejriwal was prevented from getting down from his car. Around 7.30 pm, Kejriwal, along with some of his leaders, were detained for protesting. “Formally detained by police. No idea where they are taking me,” he tweeted.
The Delhi Police in a statement said, “None has been arrested during protests by political parties at the RMl Hospital. As leaders, along with the crowd, started gathering at the RMl Hospital, medical services were severely affected. Police requested them to move away. Despite several requests they did not go away. Then they were forcibly evicted.”
Earlier, Rahul said the Delhi Police’s action was symbolic of “undemocratic” mentality of the Modi Government, while Kejriwal accused the PM of being guilty of “deceit” over the OROP.
Several Congress leaders, including Randeep Surjewala, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kumari Selja, too were detained at the Parliament Street Police station. Sisodia was kept there for several hours.
Rahul gave vent to his ire on the cops posted at Mandir Marg Police Station for detaining the protesting family members of Grewal, calling it “shameful”. “Do you not feel ashamedIJ He is a son of an Army veteran, he is his father... And you are arresting themIJ” a livid Rahul told policemen.
Kejriwal asserted that Grewal’s “martyrdom will not go in vain”. Surjewala called the police action “naked goondaism by the Modi Government”.
“On October 31, Grewal had appealed to ex-servicemen living in Bhiwani district to come with him to Delhi in order to protest on the OROP. He first went to meet a Matthu Ram, who refused to come with him to Delhi. But Grewal made him sign on the appeal,” said police, adding that after that he went to meet Jagdish Rai, Mirthi Singh and Subhe Singh, all three of whom signed on the appeals and came over to Delhi with him in a rented car.
“After arriving in Delhi, Grewal and his associates first went to the Ministry of Defence to meet Parrikar on Tuesday where he was not attended because of the lack of appointment. Grewal then went to lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan’s house but he there too he was not heard.
After leaving from there, the four of them halted at a lawn behind the Jawahar Bhawan, where Grewal fell unconscious and started frothing from the mouth. One of his friends, Mirthi Singh, immediately took him to the Ram Manohar lohia hospital where after four hours of treatment Grewal succumbed to his injuries,” said the official.
According to his associates, Grewal, who served in the Army and the Defence Security Corps for 30 years, had been upset over the issue for sometime. “He asked me to come to Delhi with him and stay with him on this journey to get justice. He also made me sign on the memorandum. But I don’t know when he bought poison tablets and took them. After leaving Mahajan’s house, he stopped at a place and wrote something on the memorandum. He also made a call to his son and then we halted at the lawn where he collapsed,” said Mirthi Singh.