BSF chief says video used by Pak’s ISI to demoralise forces

NEWDELHI: Food prepared in BSF kitchens has always been good and one can check the quality by visiting any of its posts unannounced, said the paramilitary force’s chief, KK Sharma.

Sharma also blamed the ISI for using a jawan’s allegation of poor meals being served to troops to demoralise them.

“I joined the BSF in 2012 (as an additional DG). No one (jawans or officers) ever complained about food... There may be issues about transfer or posting. So I was rudely shocked when this person (Tej Bahadur Yadav) uploaded a video (alleging bad food).

“We already have very healthy systems in the force. We do constant checking of the food that is prepared in our kitchens. Food is not a problem at all,” the DG said in an interview to PTI.

He then threw up an open challenge: “Anyone can go any day and anytime to any border outpost of the BSF and ask for food.”

“I guarantee that you will find good food. We have food that is homely. Food is plentiful in the BSF,” the chief of the 2.65-lakh personnel strong force said.

He said he had made the same suggestion to parliamentarians when they grilled him on the issue early this year.

Yadav, in uniform and carrying his service rifle, had in January posted a video on Facebook, picked by other social media platforms, claiming poor quality food like watery ‘dal’ and burnt ‘chap- atis’ were being served to the troops in inhospitable terrains along the border.

The DG said videos of Yadav, who was sacked from service recently after an inquiry found his allegations to be wrong, and were “used” by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) of Pakistan.

“You may or may not be knowing that his (Yadav’s) video was picked by our neighbour from 22 places and made to go viral,” he said, adding that the idea was to demoralise the personnel of the BSF and other security forces.

Sharma said the force also learnt its lessons and he was “thankful” for the incident as it helped the BSF formulate a plan to tackle the challenges emerging from social media and to understand how the misuse of the platform can harm an organisation.