Ex-servicemen stage 12-hour protest on Punjab railway tracks, disrupts services
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Patiala: Approximately 250 ex-servicemen staged a protest by sitting on the railway tracks at Shambhu railway station in Punjab for nearly 12 hours, causing disruption to train services.
Their demonstration stemmed from being barred from heading to Delhi for a protest concerning alleged discrepancies in the "One Rank One Pension" (OROP) scheme.
According to Government Railway Police (GRP) officials, the protest led to an interruption in train movement along that section. They had scheduled a protest in Delhi related to the perceived irregularities in the OROP scheme.
The disruption affected trains bound for Delhi, Jammu, and Amritsar. However, following assurances from district administration officials that a meeting would be arranged with the governor, the protesters ended their sit-in around 4:30 pm, allowing normalcy to resume on the railway tracks.
Earlier in the day, the ex-servicemen had planned to travel to Delhi using various modes of transportation. However, they were halted by the police at the Shambhu border, restricting their entry into Haryana. The protest, which commenced in the morning with around 250 participants, saw an increase in numbers as the day progressed.
A GRP official confirmed the disruption of train services due to the protest but later stated that the dharna had concluded, and train operations had resumed without further hindrance.