punjab

Updated: May 12, 2017 11:44 IST

Ex-servicemen held a protest march in support of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, a Kargil martyr's daughter, who recently stood up against campus violence. Over 150 people, under the banner of the State Ex-servicemen Welfare Association (SEWA), took out a march from the war memorial on the YPS Chowk and marched through Fountain Chowk and Lower Mmall.

SEWA president Colonel (retd) Kuldip Grewal said that the ideology of the RSS and its student wing Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parsidhad (ABVP) is being turned into an un-christened law of the land with its political wing, BJP, has long maintained silence over their wrongdoings.

The definition of nationalism, he said, was fiddled with to thrust upon a particular line of fundamentalism on the people of all castes and creeds. Educational institutions have become battlefields of affiliated political outfits of students. Atmosphere of fear is being created among peace-loving people, he added

Members said that the armed forces, which are apolitical to the core, are being politicised and their operations against the enemy are blown out of proportion to gain political mileage. By assuming sheer brute political power, the government started with the grant of truncated ‘one rank one pension’ scheme and then using the same to garner public support in their bid to brighten their chances in the state assembly elections.

They said that Jawans from BSF, CRPF and army recorded their grievances in the videos and, with political connivance, ran in the social and sponsored media when strong in built system is in place to alleviate problems faced not only by the jawans but also their families.

Now a minister at the Centre has uploaded a video with the recorded public speech of a serving soldier laced with political leaning.

The association demanded that all operations against the enemy are classified as secret and should not be used as a political tool. Violence on the campus should end and offenders should be booked and thrown behind bars.

Showing solidarity with Gurmehar Kaur, they said that the prevailing trend is dangerous for the security of the country. It should be stopped forthwith and also Student Unions should be barred from provocating mobs creating wedge especially within the rank and file of troops.