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What’s the story?
Recently on Monday, soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav who is deployed with the 29th battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) had uploaded as many as four videos shedding light on the poor conditions that the defence forces survive under.
"This is breakfast - one burnt parantha and a glass of tea...no butter, no jam, no pickle..." says a soldier in Facebook videos that have gone viral. "Can a jawan do his duty with this kind of food? Share this video as much as possible and take our message to the government. Jai Hind!" The BSF jawan sais looking straight into the camera, highlighting the deplorable conditions they are forced to face.
In another one of the videos, the soldier films dinner being cooked in semi-darkness, "Dal with only haldi (turmeric) and salt. No onion, no garlic, no seasoning...not even cumin," he goes on to complaint while also chiding his colleagues for cooking in the absence of light.
Further alleging that he can face any sort of repercussions for posting the video, he goes on to make some claims and appeals to the Prime Minister at the same time.
"This is the quality of the food we get... we are on duty for 11 hours in the snow and at times we have to stand throughout... how can a jawan do his duty?"
Often, he is quoted as saying that, jawans go to bed on an empty stomach. "The government's store is full but everything is sold. I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order an investigation," says the soldier, concluding that "anything can happen to me after I put out this video."
Subsequently, the video went viral and many sportspersons in the likes of Virender Sehwag, Vijender Singh, Yogeshwar Dutt amongst others expressed their plight over the issue and showcased their concern over the kind of treatment meted out to our jawans.
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After he posted the videos, Tej Bahadur was shifted from his duty at the Line of Control to the headquarters of the 29th battalion in Poonch.
The Home Ministry and the BSF have both followed up on the issue and ordered enquiries.
The heart of the matter
The videos uploaded by soldier Tej Bahadur certainly has struck a chord with the Indian public. Many citizens have taken a stand to support the jawan across social media and along with them, several Indian sportspersons also came to the fore to showcase their solidarity with the jawan.
While cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir expressed their anguish over the issue, Mohammad Kaif, who himself was recently trapped in a controversy on Twitter regarding his ‘surya namaskar’ picture made an outright demand that soldiers need to be provided with proper food.
Meanwhile, boxer Vijender Singh voiced his support with a plea to save the soldiers. Wrestler and Olympic bronze medalist Yogeshwar Dutt went a step ahead and took a jibe at the political leaders, saying that jawans are forced to carry shopping bags during peace postings and are served with just one ‘roti’ on the border.
Tweet Speak
Sportskeeda’s take
When famous celebrities, especially our sportspersons tweet out something, they make statement that reaches out to their followers and ensures that the voice of the victim spreads out far and wide. Moreover, it also forces the authorities to sit up and take adequate notice about the issue at hand.
Thus, we hope that the lion-hearted men who protect us day-in and day-out, now receive better treatment in terms of living conditions, food and other aspects alike.
