Veteran’s Plea


Veterans voice their discontent over 6th Pay Commission report

In an unprecedented display of strength and anger, retired officers from the Armed Forces organised a day-long hunger protest at the India Gate lawns on May 27 this year against the alleged ‘injustice’ meted out to them and the serving personnel through the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission headed by Justice Srikrishna.

But this is not the last we hear about the discontent among the armed forces personnel against the Sixth Pay Commission report. The veterans have now planned to make July 6, the Kargil Victory Day, into a watershed day by organising a massive protest march, if the government does not heed to their request to review the proposed pay hike and address their grievances.

“The sixth pay commission report is very damaging for armed forces personnel. We did send letters to the Prime Minister and the defence minister. But nothing positive has come out of these efforts and hence, we have no other way, except to go on a protest,” said Lieutenant General Raj S Kadyan, chairman of the All India Military Veterans Movement (AIMVM), a central body of retired officers and men of the armed forces.

Simultaneously, veterans all across the country sat on a day-long protest at their respective centres including Chandigarh, Jalandhar and as far away as Coimbatore in south India. The protests took place in nearly 300 cities all over the country to highlight the discontent against the pay commission recommendations and to press for their demands.

After the fast, the veterans, who had gathered for the common cause, decided to intensify their protest with yet another major demonstration on July 6.

At Delhi’s India Gate Lawns, about 500 veterans, including 30 Lt Generals and Major Generals from all across the National Capital Region, gathered to organise the fast. While some retired senior officers from the army were present at the protest, the retired senior cadre from the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy were conspicuous by their absence.

AIMVM vice chairman Major General Satbir Singh, a sena medal winner, claimed the senior retired officers from the other two services were unable to join the protest due to lack of communication. However, he reiterated that the forces stood united in their movement against the commission. He acknowledged that the sole representation from the Navy was a retired Rear Admiral whereas the IAF fraternity had no senior representatives at all.