By YKA Staff:
In a video that’s gone viral on the internet, with 6.2 million views, a soldier of the 29th Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) has alleged that corrupt higher ranking officials are selling out rations that are meant for soldiers, forcing them to go hungry to bed at times. The soldier, was later identified as Constable Tej Bahadur Yadav by the BSF. The battalion he belongs to serves in the cold environs of Jammu and Kashmir.
Constable Yadav who says that he doesn’t know what will happen to him once the video gets out, urges people to share it with the media so that the people can see the plight of soldiers. He begins by wishing everyone a ‘good morning’ and ‘Jai Hind’ and then pans the camera to show the snow all around his post, where he does 11-hour shifts from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Yadav alleges that even though the government provides the forces with full rations, officers at the top sell them, leaving soldiers with little or nothing to eat. In a series of videos that follow, he claims that they get just one paratha with tea for breakfast, while the dal that they get is pretty much just turmeric and salt. In another video he actually shows the food that they are served, holding it up for examination.
While the courage of the Indian soldier is being cited everywhere in politics these days, it is shameful to see what his actual condition is like, if Yadav’s video is true and anything to go by. While he absolves the government of all fault and says it is the officers who are responsible, he urges the PM to investigate the matter.
The video which was posted on Sunday has since been shared widely, and the government has taken action on the same. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has reportedly asked the Union Home Secretary for a report on the matter. There is also mention in the report of how Constable Yadav has faced disciplinary proceedings on various charges previously, including ‘alcohol abuse’.