BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav is 'missing' says his family, court to hear petition
Highlights
- Jawan claimed 'bad food' served to soldiers, they often go to bed hungry
- Now his family claims they have not been able to contact him for 3 days
- BSF sources claim phone records prove family spoke to him on Thursday
Border Security Force (BSF) constable Tej Bahadur Yadav, who posted a video on Facebook alleging that almost inedible food is served to soldiers at the frontlines, is missing, his wife told the Delhi High Court today. The BSF has been ordered to allow Sharmila Yadav to meet her husband at his battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and stay with him for two days.
Yadav's family had alleged that no one had been able to contact him for three days and the BSF has not responded to two letters asking about him.
"His wife talked to him last on February 7. We have been calling him on his mobile number but it goes unanswered," news agency IANS quoted his brother-in-law Vijay as saying. "When we contact his official phone number, nobody tells us about his location or they put our phone calls on hold."
BSF sources, however, claim they have phone records to prove that the constable spoke to his son, wife and brother yesterday between 6.40 and 6.46 pm.
On January 9, Yadav posted a video on Facebook showing what he called a meal of watery, unseasoned dal and burnt chapatti served to the troops. After standing long hours on duty, he said, many soldiers often went to bed hungry.
After the video went viral, the Prime Minister's Office asked for a report from the Home Ministry and the BSF.
A petition was also filed in the high court asking the government to post officers to supervise the cooking of proper healthy meals at camps.
Yadav's wife Sharmila alleges that after the video, the BSF denied him his request for early retirement.
The BSF says his voluntary retirement request was dismissed as an inquiry is pending against him.