Ex-servicemen return 10K medals to Prez

Former defence personnel returned about 10,000 medals to the President of India on Saturday to protest against the government’s alleged apathy towards their demands.

They also staged a protest at Jantar Mantar.  About 22,000 medals have previously been returned to the President.

“Shortage of 14,000 officers, upward trend in cases of indiscipline and over 115 defence personnel committing suicide in the past 10 years and inadequacies in our defence preparedness are adversely affecting the country’s security situation,” said retired Major General Satbir Singh, vice chairman of the Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement.

Members said they were protesting against the low pension for even the jawans who work at a higher rank, sepoys being denied three Assured Career Progressions, non-inclusion of defence services in benefits like Non Functional Upgrades, non implementation of the rank pay awarded by the Fourth Pay Commission despite a recent court order and others.

“The political system has been depriving the serving defence personnel of voting at the place of posting which is their constitutional right as per the People’s Representation Act. The defence locations within the country are part of some constituency,” said Singh.

He added that during the last Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, over a lakh soldiers could not cast their votes due to the faulty system of the postal ballot.

“There are over 60 big cantonments and over 250 military stations in the country where defence personnel have the strength to influence even the electoral process. There seems to be no respect for those in uniform,” said Singh.