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BSF To Submit Report To Home Ministry As More Reports Of Pilferage Emerge

Civilians near camps allege officers sell rations to them at half the price.
Danish Ismail / Reuters

The chief of the Border Security Forces (BSF) is going to report to the Centre about the quality of food served to its jawans after Home Minister Rajnath Singh took note of the allegations by a jawan in a viral video.

While the Centre had ordered a probe, the BSF had alleged that jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav, whose video had gone viral, had past history if alcoholism and creating trouble.

The inquiry report will have to be filed by director-general KK Sharma by Wednesday.

The Telegraph quoted a senior home ministry official as saying, "It's a very touchy issue and highly sensitive to the welfare of troops. Rajnathji today instructed the DG BSF to submit the inquiry report by Wednesday... Strong action will be taken against those involved in the pilferage of rations meant for soldiers if the allegations are true."

Yadav's video caused a huge furore on social media over the conditions in which jawans live. However, while the Centre ordered a probe, he alleged that he had been transferred and had been given a plumber's job.

"Officers sell provisions at half price"

More reports of pilferage emerged from near BSF camps in Jammu and Kashmir where civilians alleged that officers sell provisions meant for jawans at half the price.

A report in The Economic Times quoted a BSF jawan from the Humhuma BSF headquarters in Srinagar as saying, "They sell food items like dal and vegetables to civilians outside the camp at cheaper rates and leave us bereft of the facilities. They even deny us our daily-use items and sell the same to their agents outside the camps."

Another civil contractor told the newspaper that those officers in charge of provisions would even sell petrol at half price.

A former DG of BSF, Prakash Singh, called for a details probe into the allegations.

"It is a serious allegation and it seems there are some senior officials making money out of food items meant for soldiers," he told The Telegraph, but added that, "It may be limited to one battalion to which Yadav belonged."

Yadav belongs to the 29 battalion Seema Suraksha Bal.

On Tuesday, as the controversy over his allegations grew, he said, "I am not afraid of losing my job...I have shown what the reality is at the post". "If soldiers [are] benefited because of me, then I am ready to fight."

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.