Discrimination against Gallantry Awardees of Paramilitary Force Personnel

PARAMILITARY FORCE RETIRED OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION (REGD.) 

CHANDIGARH 

 (3089 of 2000) 

P.S. Bedi 

DIG (Retd) BSF 

Chairman 

2186, Sector 35-C, 

Chandigarh -160022 

Ph: (0172) – 2615048 

Email: psbedi03@yahoo.co.in Website:www.pmfretiredofficers.com 

S.C. Sharma 

IG P(Retd) CRPF 

President 

Flat- F-23,Galaxy Apprts, HBH, Sector 

43, GURGAON-122003 

Mob: 9878579488, 08447060604 

Email: scsharma1948@gmail.com 

Harbhajan Singh 

DIG (Retd) CRPF 

General Secretary 

A-302, Rishi Apartments, 

Zirakpur – 140 603 

Mob: 9878375611 

Email:hb_singh1947@hotmail.com 

No. PMFROA/2011/007 28 August,, 2011

To

Sardar Parkash Singh Badal,
Hon'ble Chief Minister of Punjab,
Chandigarh.

Sub: Discrimination against Gallantry Awardees of Paramilitary Force Personnel
Hon'ble Sir,

 Punjab has always been known to honour the gallant soldiers without any discrimination.
In consonance with this tradition, the Govt of Punjab has been extending monetary grants,
annuities and other concession to the awardees of Gallantry Medals. (Govt of Punjab, Dept of
Defence Services Welfare O M No 2/53/2004-IDW/1134-38 dated 02-05-2005 refers). Under
this Notification, the Gallantry Awardees have been granted monthly Annuity and other
concessions as per the Gallantry Awards conferred on the Defence Services Personnel. The
list, however, is restricted to the Awards of Defence Services series only like PVC,A C, MVC etc
and the awardees of Police Gallantry Medals have been ignored.

2. The various types of awards conferred on Indian Citizens, have been notified in the Govt
of India Gazette Notification ( President’s Secretariat ) No 104-Pres/95 dated 11 Nov,1998 in
the ‘order of precedence’. A perusal of this notification indicates that in addition to defence
gallantry awards, PVC, A C, and MVC etc the Presidents Police Medal for Gallantry and Police
medal for Gallantry also find mention. It is seen that in the order of Precedence, the ‘Presidents
Police Medal for Gallantry’ is rated above ‘Yudh Sena Medal’ and ‘Sena/Nao Sena/Vayu Sena
Medals’, and ‘Police Medal for Gallantry’ is below these gallantry medals, but above ‘Mention in
Despatches’.

3. Most of the recipients of Police series of Gallantry medals belong to Paramilitary Forces
(BSF, CRPF, ITBP and other CPOs). These gallant personnel had earned these medals at
great risk to their life with some attaining martyrdom also in fighting not only against some local
criminal elements, but had also faced the enemy bullets in Indo-Pak Wars, Chinese Intrusions,
and had been actively involved in dealing with insurgents / terrorists in Punjab, Kashmir and
North-east. Their actions are in no way inferior to the Defence Services Personnel.
  2
4. Considering the valor shown by the gallantry awardees of Police series of Medals, the
Central Govt has extended monetary allowances to the recipients of Presidents Police Medal for
Gallantry and Police Medal for Gallantry. The Chart at Annexure ‘A’ indicates the list of
Gallantry Awards in the order of Precedence showing the Monetary Allowances by the Central
Govt and the matching allowances and other concessions extended by the Govt of Punjab. A
comparison indicates that, where-as Central Govt has extended monetary grants to all
awardees of gallantry medals irrespective of their affiliation with various Security Forces, the
Govt of Punjab has restricted these only to Defence Service Personnel. The discrimination
shown towards the recipients of these Police Gallantry Medals seems highly implausible on the
part of a state which takes pride in the valor shown by its sons of the soil. This discrimination
affects the morale of the Punjab inhabitants adversely who feel that in their own state they are
considered as second rate citizens and their achievements are out rightly ignored. This, not only
amounts to humiliation, but leads to frustration.

5. The affected awardees of Police medals for Gallantry had raised this point earlier also,
but no action was taken, on the grounds that the local Sainik Boards do not recognize these
gallantry awards, through which the Punjab Govt is disbursing the various annuity and
concessions. The Paramilitary Forces come under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Home Affairs
and not Ministry of Defence and hence these gallantry awardees are not covered by the Sainik
Boards. None-the-less, this contention does not hold good to deny them the recognition which
they deserve as Punjabis.

6. It is therefore reiterated that case for suitable matching ‘Monthly Annuity’ and other
concessions may be considered for Gallantry Awardees of Paramilitary Force Personnel,
serving, retired, and the widows of the deceased on similar lines as are being extended to
Defence Services personnel. The disbursement of the annuity may be considered through the
nearest Paramilitary Establishments located in Punjab / Chandigarh or any other channel/Dept.

 With regards,


 Yours sincerely,

 (P S BEDI) DIG (Retd) BSF
 CHAIRMAN