Signal for Delhi in Dhaka Rebellion

Source : OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph kolkata edition

This morning’s rebellion by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) has swivelled the spotlight on pay and other job disparities Indian paramilitary forces claim they face compared with their counterparts who have similar duties in the army.
“Our government should read the message. Such a large body of armed people shouldn’t feel neglected,” former BSF chief A.K. Mitra, who retired last year, said today, hours after the rebellion over pay bias against the BDR spilled on to the streets of the Bangladesh capital.

Another officer with a paramilitary force said the Sixth Pay Commission hadn’t addressed the problem in its proposals. He said Delhi should read the “signals from the developments in Dhaka”.Giving examples, paramilitary force officials say a BSF constable gets at least Rs 2,000 less than an army jawan, who also enjoys a hardship allowance when posted in Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and other sensitive areas alongside men from the paramilitary forces. 

Stagnation is another problem. Unlike Bangladesh, where army officers lead the BDR, Indian paramilitary forces like the BSF, the CRPF and the ITBP have civilian IPS officers at the helm. But discontent is high against IPS officers, who have been accused of not taking up the cause of the paramilitary forces when they were pressing for higher pay scales with the pay commission.

After the posts of lance naik and naik were scrapped, a paramilitary constable can spend up to 20 years without a promotion. “After that, we are so frustrated, retirement is the only option,” said a CRPF constable.
Another bone of contention is the military service pay, a special allowance paid across the ranks and which the paramilitary forces have now sought from the government. But the home ministry is yet to take a decision.
Paramilitary force officials also argue that while a BSF commandant commands 1,170 men, an army colonel has only 867 personnel.