Indian soldier complains of working on empty stomach in viral video

Tej Bahadur Yadav of BSF accuses his senior officers of selling off food meant for troops

A soldier of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) captured social media attention on Sunday after he posted videos on Facebook showing the horrible condition of the food he and his fellow troopers are served while on duty, India Today reported.

“We get one paratha for breakfast in the morning and we have to eat it just with tea. There are times when we are forced to sleep on an empty stomach,” Tej Bahadur Yadav said in one of the four videos he posted on the social networking portal.



“This dal just has turmeric and salt, but no taste,” he said, showing a watery lentil curry and under-cooked rotis. “We have been getting this same food for 10 days continuously. Can a BSF jawan do 10 hours of duty after eating such food?” he asked.

Yadav, who is posted in Indian Occupied Kashmir, accused senior officers of selling off various ingredients in the market, leaving such substandard food for soldiers.

“The stores are always brimming. The top administration, however, sells it all in the market and pockets the money,” he said, calling for a government inquiry into the issue.

He also voiced fear that he could be severely reprimanded for posting the videos. “Officials have a lot of power. They can do anything to me.”

The Indian government has reportedly ordered a probe into the soldier’s allegations after the videos surfaced. Meanwhile, BSF, in a tweet, said it is “highly sensitive to the welfare of troops. Individual aberrations, if any, are enquired into. A senior officer has already reached the location.”







 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 10^th, 2017.