Amid staff shortage, almost 60 per cent of selected candidates refuse to join BSF

BSF currently has a vacancy of 522 gazetted officers (Assistant Commandant and above) against a sanctioned strength of 5,309.

By: News Desk |
May 7, 2017 9:29 am

At a time when paramilitary forces are facing a shortage of gazetted officers, officers selected for posting in the Border Security Force (BSF) are declining the offer to join this year. According to an Indian Express report, almost 60 per cent people have rejected the offer so far. This comes in the backdrop of increasing tension between Indian and Pakistan and the controversy in the BSF following a video uploaded by one of its jawans.

28 candidates who qualified in the 2015 UPSC examination, which were held for vacant posts in the paramilitary forces, were selected for the post of Assistant Commandant in the BSF, but, 16 of them refused to join.

Even in 2016 (UPSC exams of 2014), 17 of the 31 selected officers joined training. The same year, those who appeared for the 2013 UPSC exams also joined the force. But only 69 of the 110 selected officers joined and of these. Notably, 15 resigned during training.

BSF currently has a vacancy of 522 gazetted officers (Assistant Commandant and above) against a sanctioned strength of 5,309, according to the Home Ministry.

The report suggests that one of the reason for not joining the paramilitary forces is the “second-class treatment meted out to paramilitary forces as compared to the armed forces and reports of stagnation of career, particularly in the BSF.

Vivek Minz, one of the selected officers who didn’t join, said: “I didn’t get what I wanted. My first option was CISF but my rank was poor so got the Border Security Force. Had I qualified for CISF, I would have joined. I was prepared for it.”

Many believe that the candidates refused the offer to join the BSF as most of them had seen the videos of the now-dismissed BSF constable, Tej Bahadur Yadav, in which he spoke about the allegedly poor-quality food served in the force camps.

Speaking about the present situation, a senior Border Security Force officer reportedly said that BSF, CRPF and ITBP have some of the toughest postings. Among them, the BSF and CRPF are in war zones. That is why they are not the first preference for most candidates. Many also see the forces as just another government job, since they do not command the same respect as the Army.