INDORE: Maintenance of Internal Security Act ( MISA ) detainees on Wednesday staged a demonstration at Regal Square against Congress-led state government for stopping their pension.“During Emergency between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977, thousands of people were arrested for staging protest against the then government and were put behind bars. Later, these detainees were honoured with status of Loktantra Senani along with benefits of Loktantra Senani Samman Nidhi (pension),” Akhil Bharatiya Loktantra Senani Sangh, Indore secretary Ganesh Agrawal told TOI.He added that most of the MISA detainees are above 70 years of age and need pension for their medicines and maintenance. Stopping their pension will be inappropriate and inhuman. “If state government fails to restart the pension in days to come, the detainees and their family members will launch a series of protest in Bhopal ,” Agrawal said.There are 229 MISA detainees in Indore district . They will have to go through process of physical verification to continue getting pension from the government.The then BJP-led state government had increased pension to MISA detainees from Rs 3,000 in 2008 to Rs 25,000 in 2015. After their death, their wives were ordered to provide half of the pension Rs 12,500.The order issued by GAD deputy secretary Dharnendra Kumar Jain reads that in examination of the accounts, it came to fore that budget allocated for distribution of Loktantra Senani Samman Nidhi to MISA detainees has been exceeding. In this scenario, the department finds it difficult to justify it before Public Accounts Committee.“As per the instructions, physical verification of registered pensioners will be carried out and based on the findings, the authority concerned will decide further course of action. Till then, pension will not be distributed,” SDM Shashwat Sharma told TOI.

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