VRS plea of BSF jawan who complained about food rejected

The voluntary retirement plea of Border Security Force jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, whose post on social media about ‘sub-standard’ food triggered a controversy, has been rejected on grounds that a Court of Inquiry on his allegations is pending as also charges on disciplinary grounds against him.

The move by the BSF has not been seen kindly by Yadav’s family which alleged that the trooper was being “threatened and tortured mentally”.

Rejecting Yadav’s Voluntary Retirement Scheme plea, BSF said it has been “cancelled pending the Court of Inquiry and finalisation of its recommendations”.

“Cancellation of VRS was communicated to constable Yadav on January 30 evening only,” BSF said in a statement while making it clear that he “has not been arrested” as alleged by the family.

Yadav’s wife claimed that her husband had called her on Thursday morning and claimed that he was being threatened and harassed and that he has been put under arrest.

Officials in the force said as per the laid down procedure under a CoI, all witnesses in a case are questioned by the probe team till the investigation is completed even as the trooper is also facing charges of indiscipline on various counts and hence in such a case the privilege of granting a VRS to an employee is disallowed.

A video shot by Yadav had surfaced last month in which he complained about the quality of food and after it had gone viral, it triggered a flurry of reactions with the Prime Minister’s Office also seeking a detailed factual report on it from the Union home ministry and BSF.

The ministry had informed PMO that BSF has maintained that there was no shortage of rations at any post and that security the personnel deployed along the borders never
complained about food.

The border guarding force had also come out with fresh guidelines for maintaining high quality of food for its personnel after the video went viral.

Yadav, wearing camouflage uniform and carrying a rifle in the video, claimed that while the government procures essentials for them, the higher-ups and officers “sell these off” in an “illegal” manner in the market and the personnel have to suffer.

He had also posted other videos in which he claimed that the quality of food served was not good.

In the wake of its jawans taking to social media to air their grievances, BSF has also directed its special snoop teams to check on the morale of the jawans and the force even as it said instances of complaints being voiced via the social media were being dealt with “strictly”.