Majha ex-servicemen on hunger strike

Charging the government with ignoring the interests of the armed forces and the ex-servicemen, the Majha Ex-servicemen Human Rights Front today went on a hunger strike in protest against the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. The protesters demanded assured employment for Army officers till the age of 60 by an Act of Parliament, besides pension benefits for jawans retiring at the age 37 years.

G S Sandhu, president of the front, said the hunger strike was being observed in over 600 districts across the country. “The government has forced us to take this step and we will not call off our stir till our demands are met,” he said.