The Congress today accused the Modi government of carrying out a "surgical strike" on war veterans and ex-servicemen protesting at Jantar Mantar seeking implementation of 'one rank, one pension' (OROP) scheme, demanded that it apologise to them.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokespersons RPN Singh and Ajoy Kumar said the government had not left any place for peaceful protests in the national capital and that this was "not acceptable" in a democracy.
"The government continues to trouble them even now, after removing them from Jantar Mantar," Singh said.
In a statement later, the Congress leaders said, "The brutal crackdown on war veterans is an insult to India. The Modi government cannot digest the peaceful protests for OROP and Delhi Police has no powers to crackdown on war veterans, war widows and ex-servicemen."
"The Modi government cannot silence the voices of war veterans on the pretext of 'noise pollution'. It is high time, that the Modi government apologise to the war veterans for this misbehavior and provide them with full version of 'one rank, one pension'," the statement added.
Armed with an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banning protests and dharnas around the historic Jantar Mantar here, the police and civic officials had on October 30 demolished tents and makeshift structures set up by the protesting ex-servicemen.
The NGT, in its October 5 order, said protests and dharnas around the historic Jantar Mantar violated environmental laws.
The Congress leaders said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrates Diwali with jawans, but his government does not listen to the "rightful demands" of the ex-servicemen.
At the Congress briefing, chairman of the Indian Ex Servicemen Movement (IESM) Major General (retired) Satbir Singh alleged that the government carried out a "surgical strike" on them by removing them from Jantar Mantar.
He said Delhi Police picked up some of their colleagues even today when they were merely sitting together near Patel Chowk.
"Are we terrorists or militants that we are being treated like this. Are we criminals that we cannot even get together?
"Is it a democracy? It seems we are being thrust into times even worse than Nazi dictatorship," the IESM leader said.
He claimed that 12 ex-servicemen and war veterans were detained at Patel Chowk near Jantar Mantar. They were sitting at a bus stop, they had no banners, no placards and were not shouting slogans, but dozens of policemen lathicharged them and later detained them, he claimed.
"Is this democracy under Shri Modi?" he asked, taking a dig at the prime minister.
The Congress leaders said the "mask of nationalism peeled off yet again" when the Modi government used Delhi Police to forcibly evict peaceful ex-servicemen, war veterans and war widows from Jantar Mantar.
The Modi government, which did nothing to fulfil the "valid demands" of the ex-servicemen, was now resorting to the use brute force against them, they alleged.
IESM vice-chairman V K Gandhi said, "The way soldiers are beaten up is a matter of shame.
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