New Delhi, Nov. 2: Subedar Ram Kishan Grewal, 70, made a phone call to his son in Haryana minutes after swallowing sulphas tablets yesterday.

"I have consumed poison," he said, to which Jaswant responded: "What have you done?" The father continued: "I am sitting near India Gate in a park and behind Jawahar Bhawan. I have consumed poison. Injustice is happening with me. Injustice is happening with our jawans, our jawans did not get justice."

Jaswant asked how many tablets he had consumed, and he said three or four. Son and father broke down and Grewal said: "I am a man of principles. I am sacrificing my life for my family, nation." The conversation got recorded on Jaswant's phone.

Delhi police sources said Grewal came to Delhi on Monday with friends. Yesterday, they went to the homes of defence minister Manohar Parrikar and Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to meet them and submit a one-page memorandum but were told to seek an appointment.

They decided to join the ex-servicemen's protest at Jantar Mantar and walked to Jawahar Bhawan and sat in the park behind it. Some left to buy something to eat and others were somewhere nearby when Grewal scribbled a few lines on the memorandum and swallowed the tablets.

"I, for my country, for my motherland and for my country's army, am sacrificing my life," he wrote. "I served in 105 infantry battalion in Rajputana Rifles for six years and 11 days and thereafter got discharged and joined in Defence Security Corps. There I served for 30 years, nine months and 26 days. Like me, thousands of armymen have served in both the places but they have not yet got Orop benefits," he continued. "Now, it's up to God."