Ex-servicemen, under the banner of the Mizoram Ex-Service League (MESL), organized a huge rally in Aizawl on Tuesday protesting against the creation of the post of Director General (DG) under the Mizoram Home Guards, exclusively for the Mizoram Police Service (MPS).
Apart from opposing the creation of the DG’s post, the protesters also demanded 10 per cent reservation in Group C posts and 20 per cent in Group D posts, a hike in the monthly stipends of World War II veterans and exemption from payment of property tax under the Aizawl Municipal Corporation for all ex-servicemen.
The rally taken out from the Chandmari Point to the Vanapa Hall was also joined by wives and kin of the ex-servicemen.
The protestors regretted that the agitation had to be launched due to the negligence of the Government towards the plight of ex-servicemen.
The agitating ex-servicemen alleged that their leaders had met Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla and submitted representations to all the MLAs in connection with their plight, but to no avail.
The Mizoram Home Guards was started by 10 retired Army personnel in 1964 when Mizoram was still a part of Assam.
Under the Home Guards department, posts of officers and junior commissioned officers are reserved for ex-servicemen.
The department was usually headed by an ex-serviceman and sometimes by an IAS officer in the absence of ex-servicemen officers.
However, the State Government had in August 2014 decided to create the DG’s post in violation of the Mizoram Home Guards Act, 1985.