From an Unknown Unsung Prahari

I am reproducing a letter (unedited) by an unknown unsung prahari.

"I am a BSF prahari serving in a remote location . I have a few lines 
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."