The protests at Jantar Mantar over the OROP issue have suddenly become a hotbed of controversy this morning – ahead of Independence Day.
A group of ex-servicemen demanding ‘One Rank One Pension’ today resisted eviction from the protest site at Jantar Mantar here by Delhi Police and NDMC which were trying to clear the area in view of security concerns ahead of Independence Day.
The move came under attack from the veterans who termed it as a “Black Independence Day”.
Senior police officials reached the spot to diffuse the tension and allowed the protesters to continue. However, given the security concerns, the protesters later agreed to shift their protest location by 6pm.
Police officials say the eviction is a “standard drill” ahead of Independence Day every year as a part of a “sanitisation process” since Jantar Mantar is close to the Parliament and other important government buildings.
Senior police officials were quoted as saying that the eviction was a part of a New Delhi Municipal Corporation drive and that it applied to all protesters regardless of the issue they were protesting for.
News agencies had reported that along with the ex-servicemen, other protesters at the site protesting for various issues had also been removed. The police officials reportedly cited security concerns.
This comes a day after four former service chiefs wrote a strongly worded letter to the President to intervene in the OROP issue.
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