Action unlikely against ‘deserting’ CRPF commandos

There is both amusement and surprise in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) establishment over reports that 59 commandos left the train taking them to Gaya in Bihar from Kashmir without permission. While the ‘desertion’ was red flagged by the Havildar sent to escort the jawans, CRPF insiders this correspondent spoke to glossed over the incident.

Far from taking any disciplinary action against the commandos for ‘unauthorised absence from duty’, several CRPF officers National Herald spoke to claimed that this was not unusual. “There is a silent understanding that jawans would like to visit home for two-three days after rigorous training,” they said, “and this is fairly commonplace”.

The 59 commandos had undergone training in Kashmir for six months and were travelling to report to a battalion posted at Gaya. Since most of them hailed from UP and Bihar, officials claimed, it was perfectly normal for them to head home for a few days. But they had no answer to the question why the CRPF on its own did not allow the jawans a week’s leave after a six-month training programme.

SPURT IN JAWANS SEEKING VRS, RESIGNATIONS, SUICIDES

Insiders however agree that the sudden spurt in the number of jawans seeking Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS), resignations, suicides, taking to airing grievances on social media, rising complaints to the Home Ministry (MHA) and growing tension between jawans and some officers are partly due to the rigid and antiquated regulations.

If the commandos of the elite COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit—a specialised unit of CRPF proficient in guerrilla warfare and usually deployed in insurgency-hit areas—choose to report for duty soon enough, they suggested, a lenient view will almost certainly be taken.

“After boarding train from Jammu, they got off the train somewhere in Punjab or UP en masse. This might have created some panic,” these sources said, adding, “Otherwise; individual absence without official approval is not uncommon in armed forces.”

“The commandos were away from home for six months. Anxiety attacks in extreme homesickness cases do lead to suicide and fratricides,” observers said. “Here in this case, they seemingly just went home for a day or two before joining their services again.”

Maintaining that the leave is a privilege subject to service exigencies, a retired CRPF jawan lamented that in certain cases officers deny leave to jawans even during peacetime. “They (officers) completely ignore the fact that leave is also part of service conditions. Government of India entitles defence personnel to 60 days annual leave and 20-30 days casual leave.”

Minister of State in the MHA Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to the Lok Sabha admitted on Tuesday: “There has been a rise in resignations and applications seeking voluntary retirements from paramilitary forces last year.”

In last three years till January 15 this year, more than 20,000 personnel have sought VRS and resignation from six paramilitary forces, he stated, adding that there was no specific study to ascertain reasons for VRS and resignation.

According to him, CRPF tops the list with 7,166 personnel having resigned or sought VRS, followed by Border Security Force with 6,959, Central Industrial Security Force 2,823, Indo Tibetan Border Police 1,971, Sashastra Seema Bal 941 and Assam Rifles 812.