The sensational video uploaded on the social media by a BSF jawan about the poor quality of food served to the paramilitary forces has created a major controversy. While the BSF has questioned the credential of the jawan, MoS Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has said the Ministry has taken serious note of the video and will give top priority to the welfare of security forces guarding the borders.
“Welfare of our security forces guarding the borders and other difficult areas are absolute priority. Any anomaly would be dealt with firmly. We have taken serious note on the video. The Home Minister has sought a report on this regard. But during my regular visit to border posts, I find high-level of satisfaction among the jawans,” Rijiju said.
The charge levelled by the jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav is on the lines of several scandals that have been witnessed in the past in supply of ration to jawans in paramilitary forces and services. More than once the CAG has also picked holes in quality of food supplied to jawans.
Reacting to the controversy, BSF IG DK Upadhyay said the constable has been a habitual offender and was court-martialed in 2010 for indiscipline and pointing a gun at a senior officer. “It is a reality. He has many complaints against him, including intoxication, insubordination, aiming a gun at a senior officer. He was court-martialed in 2010. But keeping in view his family and his children, he was not dismissed from the service but was given a rigorous imprisonment of 89 days,” the IG said.
“A high-level enquiry is underway as the BSF has taken the allegations levelled by the constable very seriously. However, prima facie it was found that no other jawan deployed at the same place had any problem with the quality of food being served to them,” said the BSF IG in Jammu.
The IG said DIG level officers who visited the camp earlier had never received any complaint similar to the allegations raised by Constable Tej Bahadur Yadav. “Even Yadav never raised any complaint earlier when the DIG went to the post,” he said.
Upadhyaya said Yadav has applied for a voluntary retirement from the force and was to leave the services on January 31.
Regarding the allegations levelled by Yadav in his videos, the IG BSF said the quality of the food was same for the officers and jawans deployed on forward posts. “The BSF itself purchases ration for its force deployed on the International Border, but for the deployment on the line of Control, the ration is supplied by the Army,” the IG said.
He said as the winter stocking started from January 1, the jawans do not get fresh vegetables as the force rely
mostly on tinned food and there has been no complaint against it. “That too is a time-tested method and the quality of the ration from army is also good.
The jawans get vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian food as per their liking,” he said.
The IG said to ensure that an impartial inquiry is conducted into the entire episode, Yadav has been shifted from his headquarters. “He has been shifted to another headquarter to ensure that an impartial enquiry is conducted and that he does not complain of being pressurised.
“The prima facie enquiry conducted reveal that no other jawan deployed at the same place had any complaint about the quality of the food and they were quite satisfied with it,” he said. The officer said that a thorough probe will be conducted and the aspect of Yadav taking a mobile phone at the forward post will also be probed.
“The jawans are not allowed to take mobile phone when on duty on the forward posts and the same has to be deposited before going on duty. This aspect as how he took mobile phone along with him will also be inquired,” the IGP said.
Yadav’s videos posted on his Facebook page allegedly showing poor quality food being served to jawans had on Monday gone viral, forcing Home Minister Rajnath Singh to order an enquiry into the entire pisode.