Hindustan Times (Delhi)

CRPF soldier who spoke out against Rajnath surrenders

- Rajesh Ahuja rajesh.ahuja@hindustant­imes.com

A CRPF jawan, who ranted against Union home minister Rajnath Singh in a Facebook video after the Sukma attack, surrendere­d before an additional director general (ADG) level officer of the paramilita­ry force on Saturday following directions of the Delhi high court.

Pankaj Mishra , the CRPF jawan who posted the video, had moved the Delhi high court on Thursday to seek protection once he surrenders before chief of the force.

“Mishra came to the force headquarte­rs on Saturday at 3pm with a lawyer. Since CRPF chief RR Bhatnagar has gone to Maoist hotbeds in Chhattisga­rh on his official visit, he was asked to surrender before the ADG-level officer. Now he will be brought before the DG on Monday,” said a CRPF spokespers­on.

Misra was deployed with the CRPF’s 221 battalion at Durgapur in West Bengal. He claimed before the HC that he was assaulted by his superiors after the video went viral.

The HC directed Misra to give himself up before the CRPF director general.

Misra claimed that his relative, Abhay Kumar, was among the 25 CRPF personnel killed in the Maoist attack.

A native of Bihar’s Shahpur in Ara, Mishra after uploading the video had told HT that “the entire system was bad. There was nobody to listen to us”.

Mishra’s video was the latest addition to the growing tribe of security personnel who have ranted against alleged government­al apathy via social media platforms.

In January, a video posted by BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav about poor quality of food served to jawans, set the social media afire. Yadav has now been dismissed from the service.

Later, a CRPF constable – Jeet Singh – asked why paramilita­ry personnel were not being accorded facilities at par with their counterpar­ts in the army . In another video, lance naik Yagya Pratap Singh alleged harassment by superiors for writing to the Prime Minister over problems faced by soldiers.

AFTER UPLOADING THE VIDEO, THE CRPF JAWAN TOLD HT ‘THE ENTIRE SYSTEM WAS BAD’ AND ‘THERE WAS NOBODY’ TO LISTEN TO THEM

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