CRPF chief backs trooper for raising force’s issues

By Rajnish Singh

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief has come out in support of a trooper who posted a YouTube video appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the force's working conditions, and compared it with facilities the Army is getting.

Constable Jeet Singh's video has gone viral on social media.

CRPF Director General Durga Prasad was fully supportive of Singh. Prasad told IANS: "He has raised the isses which everybody has been speaking of for quite some time. This is not something new. This has been raised when the OROP (One Rank One Pension) issue was going on. And, has also figured before the Seventh Pay Commission."

The video posted by Singh on November 15 went viral after a similar video by a Border Security Force trooper, Tej Bahadur Yadav, complaining about quality of food put on Facebook this week grabbed media and political attention.

Prasad said: "You always want a better life than what you have, that is what he (Singh) is asking."

"We have already taken up these issues with the Seventh Pay Commission. Not just the CRPF but other DGs of other armed forces have raised these issues. And the matter is before the government," he said.

But the officer objected to the route Singh took to raise the issue, saying "Recourse to social media is not the healthiest way to handle things."

Currently deployed in Mount Abu in Rajasthan, the CRPF constable, who hails from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, in his video, said: "We (CRPF personnel) do all kind of duties inside the country like deployment for the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and Gram Panchayat elections. We contribute services in most places in the country. Despite doing all these duties, there is a big difference between the facilities provided to the Indian Army and CRPF."

"I want to tell Prime Minister Narendra Modiji that we do not get leaves and facilities on time. No one can understand our grief. Are we not entitled to these facilities after doing all these duties?

"There is a procedure of pension in the Army but our pension has now been closed. What will we do when leaving the force after 20 years? We don't even have ex-serviceman quota, medical and other facilities and we have to do maximum duties. We don't have a problem with the facilities given to the Army, they are entitled to it. But why are we being discriminated against; we should also be given these facilities," the CRPF constable said.

Asked if any enquiry is being conducted against the constable, the CRPF DG said: "No".

"Our IG has got in touch with him and asked about his grievances. Jeet Singh has said he has no complaint against the force. But the only thing he wants is for the CRPF to be on par with the Army," he said.

Clarifying on the complaint about leave raised by the constable, the CRPF chief said: "Everybody is entitled to leave but for a certain number of days depending on the place where he (trooper) is working. Those (deputed) in the field get 60 days leave, those in headquarters get 30 days leave. They (troops) are getting their entitlement totally."

Asked about the problems described by the constable, he said: "Basically he has said that he is doing the same job as an Army jawan. He is also facing the same threats and the same inconvenience, so he should get something similar to an Army jawan and nothing less than that. So it's a question of comparison with another force."

"He has not complained that he is not getting what was promised to him when he joined the force, as he is getting it," he added.

(Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in)