After the video of a BSF man showing poor quality food being served to them on the icy border in Jammu and Kashmir drew outrage, more such clips have emerged on social media, including those of an army jawan and a CRPF constable complaining about deprivation and harassment by seniors
Tej Bahadur Yadav
New Delhi: After the video of a BSF man showing poor quality food being served to them on the icy border in Jammu and Kashmir drew outrage, more such clips have emerged on the social media, including those of an army jawan and a CRPF constable complaining about deprivation and harassment by seniors.
Taking a serious note of video of BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday asked Union Home Ministry to submit a "detailed factual report" on the complaint and action taken thereof.
As the government was trying to fend off criticism on the social media about alleged ill-treatment of men in uniform posted in inhospitable places following Yadav's allegations, the new videos surfaced. A clip posted by a CRPF constable was trending in the social media in which the trooper was seen demanding parity in pay and other benefits between army and paramilitary forces, citing the difficult assignments they had to undertake. CRPF, the country's largest paramilitary force, quickly stepped in and said it has taken "cognisance" of the issues raised by the jawan, who identified himself in the video as Jeet Singh.
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"This is an old video. The jawan has service-related grievances and is seeking parity in pay and other benefits. An Inspector General rank officer of the force has already got in touch with him. We have made it clear that if there are any problems to the troops, we will address them immediately," CRPF Director General K Durga Prasad told PTI.
Another video showed Lance Naik Y P Singh alleging "abuse" by his senior officers who oftened threatened him that he would lose his job if he did not follow their orders which included polishing their shoes. In a report submitted to the Home Ministry today, the BSF said there was no shortage of food at the post where Yadav was serving. It said no personnel deployed at the post had complained about food when a senior BSF officer visited them a week ago, official sources said.
The officials said while the rations at the said post on the LoC is provided by the army, it is cooked by BSF personnel tasked for these jobs. The report, while has mentioned that jawans were not given only one 'parantha' as claimed by Yadav, it is unclear as to how they were burnt. "The probe will find out if the paranthas were ill-cooked and burnt by the cooks or otherwise. There could be a possibility of them being extra-hauled over coal," it said.
It also mentions the list of authorised food items for troops deployed at high-altitude and difficult terrain areas of the border and the actual amount of stores available, along with the calorie chart, in the said mess and others beginning January 1.
The BSF added that it "welcomes all inputs for improvement" in this regard even as it will be conducting an "audit of prevalent system by a team of senior commanding officers". Meanwhile, wife and son of the BSF jawan, who has sought voluntary retirement from the force, today came out in his defence saying he was just bringing out the truth.
"What he did is not wrong... He showed the truth... He has just made a demand for good food and 'roti'. To say that he has a mental problem is wrong. If this was true, why was he sent to the border and was put in the line of duty? "Why was he not sent for treatment?" Yadav's wife asked.
His son added "it was not wrong" to demand good food for himself and the troops posted on the borders. "How would we otherwise know what is happening there (in the forward areas) and what is happening with them (troops)? We just want a fair probe and justice," the school-going boy said.
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