The Union Home Ministry has directed the paramilitary chiefs to issue a circular highlighting service conduct rules that bar direct representation by the personnel to the Government on service matters.

According to the service conduct rules, the personnel are supposed to communicate about service matters through proper channel, and action can be taken for violation of the stipulation.

“It has been observed that the officers/officials of CAPFs (Central Armed Police Forces) instead of submitting representation through proper channel, are forwarding representation directly to higher authorities in this Ministry and many of them through DO letters on official letter head. Such communications not being in consonance with the instructions issued by DoP&T vide OM dated 31.08.2016 and also CCS (Conduct) Rules, may attract disciplinary proceedings,” reads the recent Ministry directive to the Directors General of the CAPFs or the Central paramilitary forces.

The letter further said, “DsG (Directors General) of CAPFs (i.e. BSF, CISF, CRPF, ITBP & SSB) are requested to issue a circular to their officers with regard to submission of representations on service matter through proper channel, bringing the relevant provisions of Conduct Rules attracting disciplinary action, in case of non-adherence to the prescribed procedures.”

In the letter, the Ministry has specifically mentioned the Office Memorandum dated June 6, 2013 and August 31, 2015 on the issue of representation from Government servants on service matters and the related instructions regarding insistence on adherence to proper channel for such communication.

The move comes in the wake of the Home Ministry being saddled with a number of direct representations from the paramilitary personnel and many of such complaints could have been filtered at the level of the Forces, officials said.

The copy of the Home Ministry letter has been forwarded to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Sashastra Seema Bal  (SSB).

While the provisions for following the proper channel by Government servants were there in place, the reiteration of the fact and stress on the disciplinary proceedings in case of violation of the procedure is likely to limit the scope of grievance redressal of the paramilitary personnel who are barred from forming associations or unions, paramilitary insiders said.