Wife of BSF Jawan in Viral Video Moves HC, Says He’s Missing

The wife of a BSF jawan who had posted a video online about the alleged poor quality food being served to soldiers on Thursday filed a plea in the Delhi High Court claiming that her husband is untraceable.
The family has been unable to contact him for last three days, the habeas corpus plea says. BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav had on 9 January posted a video on Facebook which showed a meal box comprising a watery soup-like dal, which he said had only turmeric and salt, and a burnt roti.
He had said this is what jawans were served at meal time on duty at places including the Line of Control (LoC) and that jawans often went to bed on an empty stomach.

After the video went viral, the Prime Minister’s Office had sought a detailed report on the claims from the Union Home Ministry and the BSF.
A PIL was also filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a directive to the government to depute senior officers to supervise cooking of proper healthy food and its distribution.
It sought a status report regarding the quality of food served to soldiers posted along the LoC.
The High Court had issued notice on the petition to various paramilitary forces, including the Border Security Force (BSF), seeking their response on the allegation of poor quality food being served to the troops.

It had also directed the BSF to produce before it an investigation report and also mention the steps taken with regard to the allegations levelled by the BSF jawan.
Now, less than a month after the PIL was filed, Yadav’s wife Sharmila and his family have claimed that the soldier is untraceable and that they have not been able to contact him.
She has sought a high-level enquiry into his alleged disappearance as well as the recent rejection of his plea for voluntary retirement.

When contacted, Ex-Paramilitary Personnel Welfare Association General Secretary Ranbir Singh said that he, along with Sharmila and her elder brother, had met the BSF director general who had assured them that a “fair inquiry as per procedure” will be conducted in the case.
Singh also said that the BSF DG told them that the jawan was hospitalised.

Earlier, the BSF had said that Yadav’s plea under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) was rejected as a Court of Inquiry (CoI) was pending against him.