O.R.O.P.- PUNJAB GOVT KILLS DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS OF EX-SERVICEMEN

Dear Fellow Veterans,

 Following Press Release has been sent to the press , let’s see how many publish it .The demonstration appeared to be well covered by the electronic media . Again let’s see the actual
Regard

Harwant
   UNITED FRONT OF EX-SERVICEMEN                                                             
                                 PRESS RELEASE

            

      O.R.O.P.-  PUNJAB GOVT KILLS DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS
                                   OF
                   EX-SERVICEMEN

 

The Ex-Servicemen had planned a PEACEFUL demonstration against the Defence Minister when he  came  for  inauguration of the Mai Bhago Training Institute on 25 July, at Sector 66, Mohali , for his failure to have the  “ALREADY APPROVED” O.R.O.P. Scheme implemented .



Permission for this demonstration was duly sought . However the Punjab killed the Ex-Servicemen’s right to peaceful demonstration by deploying thousands of policemen in riot gear along with water cannons to prevent them from going anywhere  near the venue of inauguration .

The entire area was converted in to a police fortess and Mohali looked like a town besieged . Being most disciplined and law abiding community,  the Ex-Servicemen did not try to forcedly remove the police barricades, but instead , when stopped in their Assembly Area near Gurudwara Singh Shaheedaan, they converted their march into a Rally against the Defence Minister and started voicing their anger .



They were in their thousands, along with some war widows and the area looked like a sea of black flags.



“ We defeated Pakistan, captured 93,000 prisoners and created a separate country (Bangladesh) in THIRTEEN days flat (04 to16 Dec ‘1971), but the Modi Govt could NOT issue NOTIFICATION for implementation of “Already Approved”  O.R.O.P scheme, despite being in power for over  FOURTEEN months, Draft Govt Letter (DGL) for which was prepared in APRIL 2014 , but to no avail ” , said a Veteran .



  Brig Harwant Singh (Retd) emphasized that their  anger was  NOT against any ‘PERSON’, but against the Govt’s ‘POLICY’ of ENORMOUS DELAY in implementing the   O.R.O.P. It appeared that the Govt had reneged on its promise of granting O.R.O.P,  thus betrayed the Ex-Servicemen, he said.



 Brig KS Kahlon  highlighted that the Defence Minister ,  had often mouthed platitudes for implementing O.R.O.P. “SOON” but  had NOT given a FIRM DATE. When would his  “SOON”  arrive , he asked?

 Despite all the Punjab Govt’s high handedness, the Ex-Servicemen succeeded in showing black flags to the Defence Minister when his entourage was going for lunch along the same road where the Veterans were holding their Rally. It is hoped that he got a firm message about the resentment and anger of the Ex-Servicemen and would do something
to convert his “SOON” in to a “FIRM DATE”.


{BRIG HARWANT SINGH (RETD) },
President, the All India Defence Brotherhood (A constituent of the UFESM )
54, Phase -7 , Mohali , (Pb) } . Phones :- 09814432554 and 8054397206