Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asked the BSF to submit a report on Wednesday on a video by a jawan describing the hardships of being in the paramilitary force. Border Security Force (BSF) jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav asserted on Tuesday that he stands by the comments he made in his now-viral video.
“I was asked to take down the video, but I refused,” Tej Bahadur Yadav said, while talking to CNN News18. “The video is from ground zero. There’s no hera-pheri in that. What you see is what happens. Let there be a probe if they want, they will know this is the truth,” he said.
According to a report published in The Times of India, Tej Bahadur remains defiant and has compared himself to Bhagat Singh for exposing corruption in the forces. He also claimed that he has no trust in the BSF’s probe and called for CBI or NIA probe in the matter.
Jo bomb Bhagat Singh ne nahi phoda... woh maine phod diya. Aur ab main peeche nahi hatunga (I have done what Bhagat Singh didn’t. Now I won’t back down)... If this benefits thousands of others (jawans), then I won’t back down.
This comes a few hours after the BSF alleged that the soldier has been a habitual offender.
Tej Bahadur Responds to BSF Allegations
The BSF claimed that the constable has had a “difficult past” and has “needed regular counselling” from the very start of his career.
He was a habitual offender of absenteeism without permission, chronic alcoholism, misbehaving with superior officers. For such reasons, the individual has served mostly in headquarters under supervision of some dedicated superior officer.
Yadav, on the other hand, dismissed these allegations while talking to CNN News18.
“Admittedly, we make mistakes while we perform our duty. We take our punishments and continue to do our duty. But they haven’t shown that I have done good work too, I have gotten 14 awards,” he said.
“There are too many things which will come out once the inquiry will be done. The government is doing everything they can but still we don't get anything. Yes, I fear the consequences, but if because of me many other soldiers benefit then I am ready to fight,” the jawan said.
“Now that the video is in the public domain, they can't do anything to me. Maybe later, but till now nobody has said anything. Just that there will be an inquiry,” he said.
The jawan has reportedly been transferred to the Battalion Headquarters, according to ABP News. He has reportedly been told that an inquiry is in order.
The BSF said a Deputy Inspector General rank officer has been dispatched to the location, to investigate the claims made in Tej Bahadur’s videos.
Yadav further said that though the government provides everything, they don’t receive it. “We unload the ration ourselves, so we know” he said.
(With inputs from ANI The Times of India and CNN News 18)
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