Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by sacked Border Security Force constable Tej Bahadur Yadav challenging the rejection of his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat earlier.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi dismissing the plea said, "We don’t find any merit to entertain this petition."

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Yadav, said, as per the earlier verdict of the apex court, the election petition can be filed during enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission, also referred to various apex court judgments and said election petitions can only be filed after polls are over as it would vitiate the electoral process.

At the fag end of the hearing, Bhushan sought liberty from the court to file an election petition after polling is over.

Yadav, who was dismissed from the BSF in 2017 after complaining about the poor quality of food served to the soldiers in a video, which went viral, had filed nomination papers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. His nomination&nbsp;got rejected after he failed to submit a certificate asking for clarification on the reason behind his termination.

According to a report, he was asked to submit a certificate clarifying whether his services were terminated due to corruption or disloyalty to the government.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Yadav has alleged that he was given a very short period to submit the certificate and his nomination was rejected wrongfully.

In 2017, Yadav had posted four videos on social media which showed him complaining about unpalatable food at his camp along Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was named as the Samajwadi Party candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency to take on Prime Minister Modi on Monday. Earlier, he was in the fray as an independent candidate.

Varanasi seat was won by Prime Minister Modi in the last Lok Sabha elections. He had defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal with a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes.

The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.

(With inputs from news agencies)

Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by sacked Border Security Force constable Tej Bahadur Yadav challenging the rejection of his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat earlier.

Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by sacked Border Security Force constable Tej Bahadur Yadav challenging the rejection of his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat earlier. A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi dismissing the plea said, "We don’t find any merit to entertain this petition." Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for Yadav, said, as per the earlier verdict of the apex court, the election petition can be filed during enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Election Commission, also referred to various apex court judgments and said election petitions can only be filed after polls are over as it would vitiate the electoral process. At the fag end of the hearing, Bhushan sought liberty from the court to file an election petition after polling is over. Yadav, who was dismissed from the BSF in 2017 after complaining about the poor quality of food served to the soldiers in a video, which went viral, had filed nomination papers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. His nomination got rejected after he failed to submit a certificate asking for clarification on the reason behind his termination. According to a report, he was asked to submit a certificate clarifying whether his services were terminated due to corruption or disloyalty to the government. Meanwhile, Yadav has alleged that he was given a very short period to submit the certificate and his nomination was rejected wrongfully. In 2017, Yadav had posted four videos on social media which showed him complaining about unpalatable food at his camp along Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir. He was named as the Samajwadi Party candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency to take on Prime Minister Modi on Monday. Earlier, he was in the fray as an independent candidate. Varanasi seat was won by Prime Minister Modi in the last Lok Sabha elections. He had defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal with a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes. The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23. (With inputs from news agencies)

Supreme Court dismisses Tej Bahadur Yadav's plea challenging rejection of his nomination from Varanasi

Sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's decision to cancel his candidature from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting.

Yadav, who was dismissed in 2017 after he posted a video online complaining about the food served to the troops, was fielded by the Samajwadi Party as its candidate from the Varanasi seat.

However, the returning officer rejected Yadav's nomination papers citing his failure to submit a certificate that he was not sacked for either corruption or disloyalty.

Yadav, in his plea, termed the decision of the poll panel discriminatory and unreasonable and said it should be set aside.&nbsp;

The SP had initially fielded Shalini Yadav as its candidate to contest against Modi and later nominated the sacked BSF jawan.

Sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's decision to cancel his candidature from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting.

Sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's decision to cancel his candidature from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is contesting. Yadav, who was dismissed in 2017 after he posted a video online complaining about the food served to the troops, was fielded by the Samajwadi Party as its candidate from the Varanasi seat. However, the returning officer rejected Yadav's nomination papers citing his failure to submit a certificate that he was not sacked for either corruption or disloyalty. Yadav, in his plea, termed the decision of the poll panel discriminatory and unreasonable and said it should be set aside. The SP had initially fielded Shalini Yadav as its candidate to contest against Modi and later nominated the sacked BSF jawan.

Sacked BSF jawan moves Supreme Court against Election Commission decision to cancel his candidature

The nomination of former BSF constable and Samajwadi Party candidate Tej Bahadur Yadav, who filed his papers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, was rejected on Wednesday after he failed to submit a certificate.

The Returning Officer (RO) Surendra Singh on Tuesday had issued a notice to Yadav, asking him to submit the certificate whether or not he was dismissed from the service for corruption or disloyalty to the government.

"You have not submitted the certificate to the effect that whether or not you were dismissed from the service for corruption or disloyalty with your nomination papers. You are directed through this notice to submit the aforementioned certificate till 11 am on May 1, 2019," the notice issued on Tuesday read.

Yadav, however, has alleged foul play and said that he would knock the doors of the Supreme Court on Thursday.

"My nomination has been rejected wrongly. I was asked to produce a certificate at 6.15 pm on Tuesday. We produced the evidence, but my nomination was rejected," he said.

"We will move the Supreme Court on Thursday," his lawyer said.

Yadav alleged that the RO, also the district magistrate of Varanasi, of being under pressure. "DM Sahab is under pressure," he said.

Singh said: "A person who has been dismissed from service from state or Central governments within the last five years has to obtain a certificate that he or she has not been dismissed due to disloyalty or corruption. The certificate was not produced before 11 am. So the nomination was rejected."

Yadav alleged that he was given a very short period to submit the certificate.

"I told the RO that I am not Ambani or Adani who will go by a chartered plane to Delhi for the certificate. However, I produced the certificate but they rejected it in an authoritative manner. They said that I could not produce the certificate before 11 am," said Yadav.

He also alleged a conspiracy against him. "It is just a conspiracy against us. Modi ji is scared. It has been done intentionally," said Yadav, who was dismissed from the BSF in 2017 after complaining about the poor quality of food served to the soldiers in a video, which went viral.

Yadav had posted four videos on social media in January 2017, which showed him complaining about unpalatable food at his camp along Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was named as the Samajwadi Party candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency to take on Prime Minister Modi on Monday. Earlier, he was in the fray as an independent candidate.

Varanasi seat was won by Prime Minister Modi in the last Lok Sabha elections. He had defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal with a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes.

The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.

The nomination of former BSF constable and Samajwadi Party candidate Tej Bahadur Yadav, who filed his papers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, was rejected on Wednesday after he failed to submit a certificate.

The nomination of former BSF constable and Samajwadi Party candidate Tej Bahadur Yadav, who filed his papers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, was rejected on Wednesday after he failed to submit a certificate. The Returning Officer (RO) Surendra Singh on Tuesday had issued a notice to Yadav, asking him to submit the certificate whether or not he was dismissed from the service for corruption or disloyalty to the government. "You have not submitted the certificate to the effect that whether or not you were dismissed from the service for corruption or disloyalty with your nomination papers. You are directed through this notice to submit the aforementioned certificate till 11 am on May 1, 2019," the notice issued on Tuesday read. Yadav, however, has alleged foul play and said that he would knock the doors of the Supreme Court on Thursday. "My nomination has been rejected wrongly. I was asked to produce a certificate at 6.15 pm on Tuesday. We produced the evidence, but my nomination was rejected," he said. "We will move the Supreme Court on Thursday," his lawyer said. Yadav alleged that the RO, also the district magistrate of Varanasi, of being under pressure. "DM Sahab is under pressure," he said. Singh said: "A person who has been dismissed from service from state or Central governments within the last five years has to obtain a certificate that he or she has not been dismissed due to disloyalty or corruption. The certificate was not produced before 11 am. So the nomination was rejected." Yadav alleged that he was given a very short period to submit the certificate. "I told the RO that I am not Ambani or Adani who will go by a chartered plane to Delhi for the certificate. However, I produced the certificate but they rejected it in an authoritative manner. They said that I could not produce the certificate before 11 am," said Yadav. He also alleged a conspiracy against him. "It is just a conspiracy against us. Modi ji is scared. It has been done intentionally," said Yadav, who was dismissed from the BSF in 2017 after complaining about the poor quality of food served to the soldiers in a video, which went viral. Yadav had posted four videos on social media in January 2017, which showed him complaining about unpalatable food at his camp along Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir. He was named as the Samajwadi Party candidate from Varanasi parliamentary constituency to take on Prime Minister Modi on Monday. Earlier, he was in the fray as an independent candidate. Varanasi seat was won by Prime Minister Modi in the last Lok Sabha elections. He had defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal with a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes. The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.

Lok Sabha polls 2019: Sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav’s nomination for Varanasi rejected, says will move Supreme Court 

In a surprise move,&nbsp;the Samajwadi Party on Monday changed its candidate in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat and fielded ex-BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The SP, which is in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, had earlier declared Shalini Yadav as its candidate from Varanasi, while the Congress has renominated Ajai Rai.

"I was sacked for raising the issue of corruption. My sole objective will be to strengthen and eliminate corruption in the forces," Yadav told reporters when asked about the SP decision to field him.

Yadav will be challenging Modi in Varanasi constituency of Uttar Pradesh, an SP leader said.

The former Border Security Force (BSF) soldier had uploaded a video on social media in 2017, complaining that poor quality food was being served to the troops in the icy, mountainous region along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. He was later dismissed on the charge of indiscipline.

The SP is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh to defeat the BJP. As per the seat-sharing pact, the SP is contesting 37 Lok Sabha seats, while Mayawati-led BSP and Ajit Singh's RLD have been allocated 38 and three seats respectively.&nbsp;

The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

In a surprise move, the Samajwadi Party on Monday changed its candidate in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat and fielded ex-BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a surprise move, the Samajwadi Party on Monday changed its candidate in the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat and fielded ex-BSF trooper Tej Bahadur Yadav against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The SP, which is in an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal, had earlier declared Shalini Yadav as its candidate from Varanasi, while the Congress has renominated Ajai Rai. "I was sacked for raising the issue of corruption. My sole objective will be to strengthen and eliminate corruption in the forces," Yadav told reporters when asked about the SP decision to field him. Yadav will be challenging Modi in Varanasi constituency of Uttar Pradesh, an SP leader said. The former Border Security Force (BSF) soldier had uploaded a video on social media in 2017, complaining that poor quality food was being served to the troops in the icy, mountainous region along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. He was later dismissed on the charge of indiscipline. The SP is contesting the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Uttar Pradesh to defeat the BJP. As per the seat-sharing pact, the SP is contesting 37 Lok Sabha seats, while Mayawati-led BSP and Ajit Singh's RLD have been allocated 38 and three seats respectively. The election in Varanasi is slated to take place in the last phase of seven-phased Lok Sabha elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23. (With inputs from agencies)

Samajwadi Party changes Varanasi candidate, fields ex-BSF constable Tej Bahadur Yadav against PM Modi

By Abhishek Bhalla

Stressing that the armed forces cannot afford a communication breakdown between the officers and ranks, Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat defended the &lsquo;buddy system&rsquo; or the use of Sahayaks in the Army wherein a soldiers is attached to an officer.

The practice has often been condemned as the &ldquo;buddy&rdquo; is required to run personal errands for the officer.

&ldquo;This is an integral part of the Force as the buddy is actually a confidant of the officer and someone you can open out to,&rdquo; General Rawat said on Friday, adding that the Army has recommended that it can be done away with in peace stations.

General Rawat was answering questions about the controversy over the quality of food and facilities being provided to soldiers in the army and paramilitary forces.

Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, and army jawans had recently taken to social media to air their grievances about the poor quality of food and facilities being provided to them.&nbsp;

And a soldier had alleged in a YouTube video that he was forced to &quot;wash clothes, polish boots and walk dogs&quot; for his seniors, and that he was being hounded for flagging the menial jobs he had been made to do.&nbsp;

General Rawat said that he would want the soldiers to complain directly to him rather than use social media. He said that he has decided to place suggestion-cum-complaint boxes at army headquarters and every camp, and that they will be monitored by his office. He said the identity of the person complaining would be kept secret and in case of a leak, people in his office will be held accountable.

&ldquo;A soldier is a soldier. He should not shy away from penning his name as the identity will be kept secret. They should come directly to us. If they are dissatisfied with the action they can use other means,&rdquo; General Rawat said.

General Rawat clarified that the &ldquo;buddy&rdquo; system does not mean that the person is required to do menial jobs, adding if he is not comfortable he can refuse. &ldquo;It has been recommended that in field areas, a buddy is needed since he also assists the officer in operations. In other areas, we can do away with the system and even accept civilians to assist,&rdquo; he added.

Soldier vs soldier

Speaking of grievances while answering a question about Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Parveen Bakshi, whom he superseded, Gen Rawat said he will look into it if the former brings his grievances to his notice.

General Rawat&rsquo;s remarks came after Lt Gen Bakshi, while addressing the soldiers of Eastern Command on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, alleged that a &ldquo;malicious campaign&rdquo; was carried out to stop him from becoming the Army Chief.

&ldquo;If there is anything that needs to be investigated, as I said, if it is brought to my notice, we will look into it,&rdquo; he said, adding he came to know of Lt Gen Bakshi&rsquo;s allegations through the media. Gen Rawat said after his name was announced as the new chief, both of them, he and Lt Gen Bakshi, had reached out to each other.

(This report first appeared in DNA)

His comments come after soldier alleges in YouTube video that he was forced to 'wash clothes, polish boots and walk dogs'

By Abhishek Bhalla Stressing that the armed forces cannot afford a communication breakdown between the officers and ranks, Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat defended the ‘buddy system’ or the use of Sahayaks in the Army wherein a soldiers is attached to an officer. The practice has often been condemned as the “buddy” is required to run personal errands for the officer. “This is an integral part of the Force as the buddy is actually a confidant of the officer and someone you can open out to,” General Rawat said on Friday, adding that the Army has recommended that it can be done away with in peace stations. General Rawat was answering questions about the controversy over the quality of food and facilities being provided to soldiers in the army and paramilitary forces. Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, and army jawans had recently taken to social media to air their grievances about the poor quality of food and facilities being provided to them. And a soldier had alleged in a YouTube video that he was forced to "wash clothes, polish boots and walk dogs" for his seniors, and that he was being hounded for flagging the menial jobs he had been made to do. General Rawat said that he would want the soldiers to complain directly to him rather than use social media. He said that he has decided to place suggestion-cum-complaint boxes at army headquarters and every camp, and that they will be monitored by his office. He said the identity of the person complaining would be kept secret and in case of a leak, people in his office will be held accountable. “A soldier is a soldier. He should not shy away from penning his name as the identity will be kept secret. They should come directly to us. If they are dissatisfied with the action they can use other means,” General Rawat said. General Rawat clarified that the “buddy” system does not mean that the person is required to do menial jobs, adding if he is not comfortable he can refuse. “It has been recommended that in field areas, a buddy is needed since he also assists the officer in operations. In other areas, we can do away with the system and even accept civilians to assist,” he added. Soldier vs soldier Speaking of grievances while answering a question about Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Parveen Bakshi, whom he superseded, Gen Rawat said he will look into it if the former brings his grievances to his notice. General Rawat’s remarks came after Lt Gen Bakshi, while addressing the soldiers of Eastern Command on New Year’s Eve, alleged that a “malicious campaign” was carried out to stop him from becoming the Army Chief. “If there is anything that needs to be investigated, as I said, if it is brought to my notice, we will look into it,” he said, adding he came to know of Lt Gen Bakshi’s allegations through the media. Gen Rawat said after his name was announced as the new chief, both of them, he and Lt Gen Bakshi, had reached out to each other. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Don?t use social media, come to me, Indian Army chief tells soldiers

By Sakshi Chand

Serving the nation selflessly was a dream for Rohit Yadav. But disgusted with the way the Border Security Force (BSF) has hounded his father Tej Bahadur after he released a video alleging bad quality rations, this 17-year-old does not want to have anything to do with the armed forces.

&quot;It is an open secret. The food the soldiers get is unpalatable, yet they endure it for the love of the nation. Look at what has the same love brought my father: disrepute and baseless allegations,&quot; says an emotional Rohit. His focus is now on cracking his IIT exams, for which he travels everyday to Gurgaon for coaching. One could easily dismiss Rohit&#39;s decision as just one of the many sons of a soldier who has chosen not to follow the family path. But the Yadav family is just not any family. Its forefathers can be traced back as soldiers to the 1857 Mutiny and the Independence struggle. Indeed, before the video, serving the nation was an automatic choice. But now everything has changed.

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<h5>The only sin my son has committed is to have a voice of his own. He has been awarded 14 medals by the BSF. Why would they decorate a soldier who they say is an &#39;alcoholic&#39; and a &#39;habitual offender&#39;?&#39; says Tej Bahadur&#39;s father</h5>
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Twenty-one-year-old Omvir Yadav, Tej Bahadur&#39;s nephew &mdash; whose father is also in the BSF &mdash; is also one of the family who has now changed his mind. Earlier, Omvir would wait for Bahadur to come for leave as he would make him and his cousin Rohit do fitness exercises.

&quot;Whenever I spoke to my uncle (Tej Bahadur), he always persuaded me to join the forces, but now I know I don&#39;t want to do this anymore. He spoke about bad food and conditions there and the BSF questioned his service record and character. We cannot stand for that,&quot; said Yadav.

The boys&#39; decision is backed by their grandmother Nihal Kaur, Tej Bahadur&#39;s mother. &quot;My grandsons would fondly talk about joining the Army and other paramilitary forces, but today, irrespective of how motivated they are, I will never send anyone from the family to their family,&quot; she says emotionlessly. &quot;Earlier, I use to tell the world about my son&#39;s achievements but I keep silent now.&quot;

The fact that the family would consider leaving the forces is a joke not just for them but for everyone involved. Sher Singh, Tej Bahadur&#39;s father, recounts their history with the forces. Singh is visibly and rightly proud of the family&#39;s lineage that has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

&quot;My father went to jail with Netaji and even (former President) Giani Zail Singh in his autobiography has mentioned his name as his political guru. Our entire family has a legacy and that is how I have brought up my children,&quot; a visibly ill and angry Singh recounts. Rubbishing the BSF&#39;s charges against his son, he adds: &quot;My father was an integral part of the freedom movement. His efforts were lauded by Bose&#39;s brother who even gave him the moniker of &#39;Azad&#39;. Betrayal of our motherland is not in our blood. It&#39;s only sheer nationalism and patriotism that runs in our genes.&quot;

Sharmila Yadav, Tej Bahadur&#39;s wife, seconds her father-in-law&#39;s claims but admits that she is worried about her husband. &quot;He used to call everyday but from the time the video was uploaded. We have only spoken twice or thrice, that too from different numbers. His phone is also switched off,&quot; says a worried Sarita.

Vouching for the impeccable integrity and professional commitment of her husband, her anger against the BSF knows no bounds. &quot;They are declaring him mentally unfit&nbsp;because he blew the lid off their corrupt practices. If that&#39;s the case, why have they posted him on the Line of Control (LoC) and that too armed with a weapon? He will fight this even after his retirement as he has proof against them.&quot;

Singh seconds his daughter-in-law&#39;s opinion. &quot;The only sin my son has committed is to have a voice of his own. He has been awarded 14 medals by the BSF. Why would they decorate a soldier who they say is an &#39;alcoholic&#39; and a &#39;habitual offender&#39;?&quot;

(This report first appeared in DNA)

The family, which has been soldiering since the 1857 war of independence, says its members will no longer sign up with the defence forces

By Sakshi Chand Serving the nation selflessly was a dream for Rohit Yadav. But disgusted with the way the Border Security Force (BSF) has hounded his father Tej Bahadur after he released a video alleging bad quality rations, this 17-year-old does not want to have anything to do with the armed forces. "It is an open secret. The food the soldiers get is unpalatable, yet they endure it for the love of the nation. Look at what has the same love brought my father: disrepute and baseless allegations," says an emotional Rohit. His focus is now on cracking his IIT exams, for which he travels everyday to Gurgaon for coaching. One could easily dismiss Rohit's decision as just one of the many sons of a soldier who has chosen not to follow the family path. But the Yadav family is just not any family. Its forefathers can be traced back as soldiers to the 1857 Mutiny and the Independence struggle. Indeed, before the video, serving the nation was an automatic choice. But now everything has changed. The only sin my son has committed is to have a voice of his own. He has been awarded 14 medals by the BSF. Why would they decorate a soldier who they say is an 'alcoholic' and a 'habitual offender'?' says Tej Bahadur's father × Twenty-one-year-old Omvir Yadav, Tej Bahadur's nephew — whose father is also in the BSF — is also one of the family who has now changed his mind. Earlier, Omvir would wait for Bahadur to come for leave as he would make him and his cousin Rohit do fitness exercises. "Whenever I spoke to my uncle (Tej Bahadur), he always persuaded me to join the forces, but now I know I don't want to do this anymore. He spoke about bad food and conditions there and the BSF questioned his service record and character. We cannot stand for that," said Yadav. The boys' decision is backed by their grandmother Nihal Kaur, Tej Bahadur's mother. "My grandsons would fondly talk about joining the Army and other paramilitary forces, but today, irrespective of how motivated they are, I will never send anyone from the family to their family," she says emotionlessly. "Earlier, I use to tell the world about my son's achievements but I keep silent now." The fact that the family would consider leaving the forces is a joke not just for them but for everyone involved. Sher Singh, Tej Bahadur's father, recounts their history with the forces. Singh is visibly and rightly proud of the family's lineage that has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "My father went to jail with Netaji and even (former President) Giani Zail Singh in his autobiography has mentioned his name as his political guru. Our entire family has a legacy and that is how I have brought up my children," a visibly ill and angry Singh recounts. Rubbishing the BSF's charges against his son, he adds: "My father was an integral part of the freedom movement. His efforts were lauded by Bose's brother who even gave him the moniker of 'Azad'. Betrayal of our motherland is not in our blood. It's only sheer nationalism and patriotism that runs in our genes." Sharmila Yadav, Tej Bahadur's wife, seconds her father-in-law's claims but admits that she is worried about her husband. "He used to call everyday but from the time the video was uploaded. We have only spoken twice or thrice, that too from different numbers. His phone is also switched off," says a worried Sarita. Vouching for the impeccable integrity and professional commitment of her husband, her anger against the BSF knows no bounds. "They are declaring him mentally unfit because he blew the lid off their corrupt practices. If that's the case, why have they posted him on the Line of Control (LoC) and that too armed with a weapon? He will fight this even after his retirement as he has proof against them." Singh seconds his daughter-in-law's opinion. "The only sin my son has committed is to have a voice of his own. He has been awarded 14 medals by the BSF. Why would they decorate a soldier who they say is an 'alcoholic' and a 'habitual offender'?" (This report first appeared in DNA)

BSF soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav's family severs ties with armed forces

The family of an Indian soldier&nbsp;say he is being coerced to offer an apology for putting up videos on YouTube complaining of poor quality food being served to soldiers deployed along the India-Pakistan border, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s office has asked the home ministry to look into the matter.

Border Security Force soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav published a video on January 8&nbsp;complaining about the quality and quantity of food provided to soldiers who are manning the Indian border.

&quot;We are on duty for 11 hours in extreme weather conditions. But sometimes we have to sleep on empty stomachs. But our anguish has neither been heard by the government nor has the media covered our plight,&quot; Yadav had said in one of the four videos posted on&nbsp;YouTube between January 8 and 9.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wpcGF0p_whc" width="560"></iframe>

(The video is in Hindi)

In another video, he shows the quality of food served to them. He further said they were being forced to have the same food for the last ten days.

Yadav&#39;s wife Sharmila claimed that her husband was being forced to apologise. &quot;He told me that he is being pressurised to take the complaint back and apologise,&rdquo; she said, later adding that her husband had the right to demand better food.

On the other hand, the BSF say that Yadav has been on the verge of being ejected from the forces for drinking and insubordination.

But Yadav&#39;s wife believes his reputation is being blemished now for laying bare the realities in border camps. &quot;To say that he has a mental problem is wrong. If this was true, why was he sent to the border and was put on duty? Why was he not sent for treatment?&rdquo; she asked.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) on Thursday asked the home ministry to initiate an inquiry, a day after India&#39;s home minister Rajnath Singh promised to take&nbsp;&quot;appropriate action&quot; to be taken in this matter.

The BSF filed an interim report to the defence ministry on Wednesday, stating that the food provided were in accordance with procedures followed at high-altitude centres. The BSF is yet to audit the procurement of its ration.

Later in the day, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said he personally monitors quality of food served to the army and has ordered serving of only FSSAI-approved chicken. 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI, ANI)

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Tej Bahadur Yadav had uploaded four clips complaining of poor quality of food being served to soldiers deployed along India-Pakistan border

The family of an Indian soldier say he is being coerced to offer an apology for putting up videos on YouTube complaining of poor quality food being served to soldiers deployed along the India-Pakistan border, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office has asked the home ministry to look into the matter. Border Security Force soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav published a video on January 8 complaining about the quality and quantity of food provided to soldiers who are manning the Indian border. "We are on duty for 11 hours in extreme weather conditions. But sometimes we have to sleep on empty stomachs. But our anguish has neither been heard by the government nor has the media covered our plight," Yadav had said in one of the four videos posted on YouTube between January 8 and 9. (The video is in Hindi) In another video, he shows the quality of food served to them. He further said they were being forced to have the same food for the last ten days. Yadav's wife Sharmila claimed that her husband was being forced to apologise. "He told me that he is being pressurised to take the complaint back and apologise,” she said, later adding that her husband had the right to demand better food. On the other hand, the BSF say that Yadav has been on the verge of being ejected from the forces for drinking and insubordination. But Yadav's wife believes his reputation is being blemished now for laying bare the realities in border camps. "To say that he has a mental problem is wrong. If this was true, why was he sent to the border and was put on duty? Why was he not sent for treatment?” she asked. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday asked the home ministry to initiate an inquiry, a day after India's home minister Rajnath Singh promised to take "appropriate action" to be taken in this matter. The BSF filed an interim report to the defence ministry on Wednesday, stating that the food provided were in accordance with procedures followed at high-altitude centres. The BSF is yet to audit the procurement of its ration. Later in the day, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said he personally monitors quality of food served to the army and has ordered serving of only FSSAI-approved chicken. (WION with inputs from PTI, ANI)

Indian soldier complaining of bad food 'forced to say sorry' as PM Modi orders probe