Punjab: Ex-servicemen squat on rail tracks in Patiala

Patiala, Nov 25 (PTI) A group of ex-servicemen squatted on railway tracks at Shambhu railway station in this district on Saturday when they were stopped from heading to Delhi for a protest over alleged anomalies in the 'One Rank One Pension' (OROP) scheme, officials said.

The protest has affected the rail movement on this section, Government Railway Police (GRP) officials said.

Some of the ex-servicemen, who were protesting at the railway station, said they were headed to the national capital early Saturday morning through various modes of transport when they were stopped by the police from entering Haryana via the Shambhu border.

A GRP official said the movement of trains going towards Delhi, Jammu and Amritsar has been affected due to the protest.

District administration authorities and police were trying to persuade the ex-servicemen to lift their dharna, the officials said.

Sources said that around 250 ex-servicemen sat on a dharna at Shambhu railway station in the morning, but their number increased later on. PTI COR SUN AS AS KVK KVK