BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav whose videos went viral has been dismissed from service.
Tej Bahadur Yadav, a Border Security Force jawan who posted video on social media complaining of bad food being served to troops on the frontlines, was today dismissed from service following a court martial inquiry that found him guilty of making false charges.
Mr Yadav has said he will move court against his dismissal, adding, "Hope I get justice, I have full faith in the judiciary. This is what happens when you say the truth? It has been happening for years now."
His wife Sharmila Devi said her husband had only tried to speak up for the rights of jawans. "What was his crime that he has been dismissed after 20 years of service? Which mother will send her son to the military if they do this?" she said in Haryana's Rewari, where the BSF jawan's family is based.
A senior BSF officer said Mr Yadav has also "been found guilty on certain charges of indiscipline including uploading the said video in violation of laid down procedures and rules."
The jawan had posted videos on Facebook in January this year complaining of near starvation in the bitterly cold hills of Jammu and Kashmir. They went viral. "This is breakfast - one burnt parantha and a glass of tea...no butter, no jam, no pickle...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!" Mr Yadav had said, looking straight into the camera.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh had ordered an inquiry into the jawan's allegations after the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) sought a report.
The BSF set up a court of inquiry against Mr Yadav and withdrew its order that had accepted his request for voluntary retirement. An internal inquiry into the quality of food served to the troops had concluded that his claims about the quality of food were not correct. This was conveyed to the PMO.
Mr Yadav was serving in the 29th battalion of the paramilitary force along the Line of Control in Poonch and was transferred to a BSF battalion in Jammu during the inquiry. His wife had moved the Delhi High Court after the BSF seized Mr Yadav's mobile phone and transferred him, alleging that he was missing. She had also alleged that her husband was "mentally tortured."
Sharmila Devi had later met her husband. In a video believed to have been recorded at that time, Mr Yadav had alleged that he was being persecuted for exposing corruption and appealed for "justice," claiming his allegations were not investigated.