BSF jawan transferred, given plumber’s duty

The BSF jawan who spilled the beans by uploading three videos on Facebook, showing the pathetic condition of food served to the paramilitary troops has been shifted from the Line of Control (LoC) to the headquarters of his 29 battalion in Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier town of Poonch and allegedly assigned a plumber’s job.

BSF’s inspector general D.K. Upadhyay said earlier at a press conference in Jammu that he will be shifted to a different headquarters “so that there can be no pressure on him and a fair inquiry can be held”.

The BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav’s act had stirred up a hornet’s nest as the videos shot by him went viral on social media gathering 2.6 million views and over 165,000 shares and there was outcry across the country against the alleged illtreatment meted out to the troops defending the bitterly cold frontiers of Jammu and Kashmir. Home minister, Rajnath Singh, ordered an inquiry into the jawan’s allegation that not only are the troops being served poor food but also they had to even starve on some days and go to bed on empty stomach.

Mr Upadhyay said that in the past when DIG-level officers visited the camps they never received any complaint such as those levelled by Yadav.

The BSF IG said that Yadav was to be courtmartialled in 2010 for indiscipline (he had reportedly assaulted a superior) but was not dismissed from service on compassionate grounds. He said that the jawan has a dodgy record that features “intoxication and insubordination”. The officer said, “His record is not good. Keeping his family in mind he was not dismissed. He added that there will be an inquiry as to how he was carrying a mobile while on duty.