Pramod Kumar further alleged that his uncles have threatened to kill his family members
A video of a CRPF soldier posted in Chhattisgarh threatening to follow in the footsteps of "Paan Singh Tomar", a soldier-turned-rebel, in protest against authorities in his native Hathras in Uttar Pradesh "not taking action" in his farm land dispute has gone viral.
In the clip, the soldier identifies himself as Pramod Kumar posted as a constable with the 74th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Maoist-hit Sukma district.
Pramod alleged that his uncles have encroached upon his farm land at his native place and have threatened to kill his family members.
After the video surfaced on social media on Monday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel directed Sukma district collector to speak to his counterpart in UP over the issue raised by the trooper. Collector Chandan Kumar said Hathras district administration has assured to take action.
In the 3.39-minute clip, Pramod is heard saying "my three uncles encroached upon my farm land. My wife and my brother complained about it in Hathras tehsil but no action was taken despite three months after lodging the complaint".
"When I informed about the matter to my Commandant sir, he wrote to Superintendent of Police (SP) and District Magistrate of Hathras three months ago but neither he (his officer) nor I got any response," he claims.
Pramod further alleged that his uncles have threatened to kill his family members and therefore he had not gone on leave since the past four months.
"They (relatives) badly thrashed my two brothers and a sister-in-law. After assaulting them, they left one of my brothers assuming that he had died, while another brother is missing. I am not certain if he is alive," Pramod claims in the video.
He also appealed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, without naming him, to conduct a probe. Pramod claims that despite knowing everything, Hathras police are allegedly doing nothing and supporting his uncles "who wields political influence".
"I am a solider of the nation, I don''t want to take any wrong step. But when I can sacrifice my life for the country, then for my brothers, I can also become Pan Singh Tomar," Pramod says while signing off with ''Jai Hind''.
Collector Chandan Kumar told news agency PTI that he had spoken to his Hathras counterpart who has assured to extend all possible help. "Hathras Collector has said that he will get the matter inquired immediately and take measures to ascertain that no injustice happens to a soldier serving the nation," the collector said.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Director General of Police DM Awasthi also said he had spoken on the issue with CRPF senior officers and asked them to redress the issue.
Tomar was a soldier in the Army who later became a rebel following a land feud in the 20th Century. Bollywood director Tigmanshu Dhulia had made a blockbuster movie on Tomar in 2012.