After the videos posted by BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav went viral on social media, a clip posted by a CRPF constable has surfaced, where he demands “parity” in pay and other benefits for the central armed police forces on a par with the Army.
Constable Jeet Singh, who is with the CRPF academy at Mount Abu in Rajasthan, posted the video in October last.
CRPF Director-General K. Durga Prasad said on Thursday that an inquiry had been ordered to find out the circumstances under which the jawan posted the video. It was, however, not against him.
Mr. Singh is heard saying in the video that while the Army gets a pension post retirement, it is on a contributory basis for the CAPFs. In accordance with the recommendations of the sixth Pay Commission, pension to government servants was stopped in 2006 and instead a contributory pension was introduced.
“An IG rank officer got in touch with him [Jeet Singh] this morning and told that the issues he raised were already being taken care of by the government, which has made its recommendations to the Pay Commission,” Mr. Prasad said. “He was advised that instead of posting the video on the social media, he should have gone through the proper channel.”
Mr. Prasad said the constable raised the issues when the OROP protests were taking place last year and the CRPF had brought all these issues to the knowledge of the 7th Pay Commission.
No food shortage
On Thursday, the BSF submitted an interim report to the Home Ministry affirming that there was no shortage of any kind of food at the post where jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, who posted the video, was serving.
“The BSF has also said that a senior ranking official had visited Yadav’s post a few days ago. Neither Yadav nor anyone else had complained about the quality of food being served to them,” said a senior Home Ministry official.
While the rations at the post at the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch, where Yadav was posted, is provided by the Army, it is cooked by BSF personnel tasked with such jobs.
The BSF said the ‘dal’ shown in the jawan’s video was from tinned food ration and the ‘parantha’ was cooked in the unit mess as per procedures followed at high-altitude locations.
A jawan is entitled to around Rs. 2,800 a month as food allowance and he is given food for the stipulated amount.
Yadav claimed in the video that while government procures essentials for them, the higher-ups and officers “sell it off” in in the market.
He also posted other videos claiming that the quality of food served was sub-standard.
