I am reproducing a letter (unedited) by an unknown unsung prahari.
for your kind consideration.
1. We are deployed in extreme ends of our country and operate in most hostile terrain,
difficult and remote areas away from our families 365 daysx24 hrs to
protect the territorial integrity of our nation. We have no peace
postings. We keep moving from one inhospitable border to another, Line
of Control to Deserts of Rajasthan. We are provided with substandard
equipment. We kept fighting with 16 Kg Bullet Proof Jacket in Kashmir
since 1989 till de-induction in 2006 whereas Rashtriya Rifles which
was raised in 1998 or so got latest equipment, lightweight BP jackets,
better incentives, choice postings. We have lost so many brave
soldiers just because we had poor equipment, not enough rest and
relief, continued deployment and poor leadership in the form of
officers who have not even commanded a company in peace leading us in
thick of battle and taking life and death decisions.
2. We have sacrificed the most in Counter Insurgency Operations
in North East, Punjab and decimated insurgency in Kashmir valley. We
are fighting shoulder to shoulder with army in Line of Control and
also during hot war we are suppose to bear the first brunt of enemy
onslaught.
3. Yet I feel ashamed of being a soldier of this motherland when
we are being looked down upon by our own brethrens. Army feels they
are superior. Our own superior officers being from different service
make us feel low. Are they superior? But superior to whom? Whom do all
of us serve? The people of this country! If we don’t respect own
troops or people of this country how can we serve them. Same is with
police and civil administrators. We have apartheid or a caste system
in our entire security setup. When a commander does not belong to the
troops or have no faith in its troops how can he lead.
4. Our Justice providers, like Srikrishna, does not find any thing
different between civilian and a BSF soldier. Yet they could
differentiate between and Armed Force personnel and civilians. BSF by
its constitution enacted by the parliament is an Armed Force of the
Union, it is an armed force which guards borders in peace, fights in
counter insurgency, law and order duties and also fights alongside
army during war and yet it is not a Armed Force in the eyes of pay
commission and Govt of India. It is because we are lead by civil
services officers of Indian Police Service who come on deputation at
the rank of Inspector General and above for brief period when
atmosphere in their home cadre is not suitable for them and go back
when it suits. They become IG in 18 to 20 years of service whereas a
BSF officer joining as a Group ‘A’ officer cannot dream of
becoming an IG in his own force. We are professionals who have vast
experience of leading troops in most difficult conditions
yet our voices are not heard we have no grievances redressal mechanism
or tribunal. With strength of 4000 Group A officers we are not a
recognized cadre whereas even Doctors of BSF, who are a support cadre
and do not guard border which is our primary role, has an organized
cadre. They enjoy much faster promotions, more avenues of
deputation and growth than the feeder cadre of BSF General Duty
officers who are combat soldiers. You can imagine that a doctor who
joins force much later than a BSF GD officer and remains junior in
initial years becomes Senior with assured time bound promotion in the
same force after few years just because he has an organized cadre.
5. Worst is in case of jawans, after removal of Naik and Lance
naik’s ranks, it created a scenario where a Constable joining BSF does
not pick up even one promotion in twenty years. In a force like
BSF, with rank comes respect, change in nature of duty, responsibility
and less strenuous tasks. Now it is difficult even to think that a
person doing such hard and monotonous duty for 20 years can maintain
the same level of motivation and ability. It not only creates stress
but leads to indiscipline and even suicidal tendencies.
6. Why our system is so insensitive to these issues. Nobody is
begging for more money or better facilities but what is rightful is
being denied. Army propagated that a Lt Col is doing higher job than
2IC of BSF. A blind person can see that and after Bagga Commission
army officers accepted the time scale promotion of Lt Col in 13years
to get better benefits. After that each army battalion has four, five
or even six Lt Col few commanding companies, and senior most being 2IC
of the battalion. CO is a full colonel. In BSF there is post of only
one 2IC who is second to the CO, who is equivalent to a Colonel. A BSF
officer becomes 2IC after 15 to 16 years of service and commanding a
company for so many years. Yet it is not visible to our government and
after so much hue and cry and almost mutiny by the highest ranks of
army they got PB -4 for Lt Cols.
7. If we are civilians, why we are governed with stringent BSF
Act and Rules. We should be governed by CCS rules like our IPS bosses.
If we are an Armed force we should be treated like one. In past few
years a dangerous trend has started growing. On every opportunity
where internal security situation or incidents took place, our defence
forces have used all PR skills to gain ascendancy over civilian setup to
get more posts, budget and say in internal affairs. We are
militarizing our nation. Rather than bringing police reforms and
strengthening internal security set up by cerating separate civil
police for law and order and armed police for internal securiy, we are
putting military in place, take example of Coastal Command where Navy
could get the overall command of all assets for coastal security. Navy
should have been preparing for Naval aggression and dominating high
seas and blue waters and Coastal security be dealt by Coast Guards who
are primarily raised for the purpose. Similarly Rashtria Rifles, which
was raised on an adhoc manner for Counter Insurgency sighting reasons
by army that infantry units are required to prepare for war and not
finght inside. But what exactly is RR. It is same army man who is
supposed to prepare for war, but on deputation at the expence of
Ministry of Home Affairs and with more cost than even entire J&K
Police. If the same amount of money and strength would have been given
to BSF, CRPF or State forces it would have been a long term effect.
Talking against defence is considered anti national in India, so it
goes on and days are not far when like Pakistan we will be a Military
Nation. Recent bargaining in pay commission and entire army’s refusal
to take their pay, despite getting much better than civilians in an
eye opener. Writing all this may be considered a violation of the code
but then what is the alternative. We cannot go to court, there is no
tribunal, nobody represents us and we continue to suffer."
