BSF jawan’s posts go viral on social media

A Border Security Force jawan has posted a series of videos on his Facebook wall to allege that rations meant for jawans are not reaching them.

The disgruntled jawan from 29th Battalion, BSF, Tej Bahadur Yadav, made no effort to hide his identity as he pleaded with his Facebook friends to share the posts widely so that “the miserable plight of jawans” could draw the attention of higher authorities and the media. The 29th battalion of BSF is deployed in a high altitude area straddling the LoC in Jammu region.

Apprehending threat to his life, he makes an impassioned appeal to the Prime Minister, demanding a thorough probe into what he describes as a scandal. And disturbingly enough he is heard saying, “I may live or they (senior officers) may get me killed.”

The videos went viral on Monday, with one shared over 21,000 times by 7 pm. The message seemed to have struck a chord especially in the wake of the ongoing encounter between security men and militants in Khour area of Akhnoor sector On Monday morning.

The jawan stationed at an undisclosed border in Jammu and Kashmir posted four short videos apparently shot by himself.

“You may find snow in the backdrop captivating and enchanting but our situation is miserable. Neither the media highlight our problems nor the officers or leaders (politicians) pay any heed to our grievances.

One of the videos shot by the jawan shows him standing in icy weather in a snow-carpeted area in clothes that do not look like designed to withstand the cold.

But the jawan is even more bitter at the “low quality food being provided to soldiers.”

“After 10-11 hours of back-breaking duty from early morning to late in the evening, irrespective of rain, snow or storm, all a jawan gets to eat is this kind of food... How does one survive on it. The daal has only water with turmeric powder and salt... and nothing else.. no garlic or onion. For the past 10 days we are being served only this along with chapatis (which looked poorly baked),” he rued, showing his tiffin. And he asks in the same breath, “now, you tell me, can a jawan perform a 10-hour duty after having such meals?”

He complains that a jawan gets only one parantha and a cup of tea in the morning without any vegetable or even pickles.

His ire appears directed at his senior officers. “ The Government provides us with all the facilities and the required supplies. But everything gets usurped by the senior officers. And a soldier gets nothing.” Even worse, he goes on to claim, “At times jawans have to sleep on empty stomach.”

In a video shot inside a dark and dingy kitchen, the cook is heard saying: “this is all (cooking material) I’ve....” Also, he is overheard hurling abuses on senior officers (over their purported apathetic attitude) while baking chapattis.

On being asked by the same jawan to start the gen set for electricity, the reply is not audible due to poor quality of the clip.

When contacted, Dharmendra Parikh, BSF DIG told National Herald that the Jawan enjoyed notoriety for being ‘indisciplined’.

“He has a bad service record. In the past four years, he was never assigned any duty with a weapon in any forward area. It was for the first time that he was stationed as sentry near the administrative block recently—and now he has made up this story. He was about to be dismissed from service for dereliction of duty but was spared due to leniency shown by higher authorities.”

The DIG went on to add, “Even if he had genuine grievances he could have gone to the Vigilance section of the BSF or the Army stationed nearby. Or for that matter he could have spoken to the DIG, who had been to the battalion headquarter three days ago.”

Asked about the Jawan’s specific complaints, the DIG had this to say, “The quality and quantity of the food-rations provided to BSF jawans and Army are the same. In fact, battalions stationed on higher altitude areas, get surplus supply of all essentials. I’ve never received any complaint regarding shortage of food-ration supplies or denial of facilities from any battalion stationed in any of the three regions of the state (Jammu, Kashmir Valley and Ladakh).”

But the videos speak for themselves. Or have they too been doctored?

READ OUR FULL COVERAGE OF BSF JAWAN TEJ BAHADUR YADAV’S EXPOSE

BSF jawan’s posts go viral on social media

BSF points a finger but fails to answer questions

BSF jawan receives support from far and wide

‘I won’t retreat’: BSF jawan alleges persecution by officers