India's Unsung Warriors: Fighting Enemies, Fighting Neglect

Central Reserved Police Force

Do you know what it means to be forgotten? To fight, to bleed, to sacrifice everything—yet to be treated as if you are invisible? I may not know it but a fellow CRPF jawan surely does, they live it every single day. You see, when people think of valour, of sacrifice, of men standing tall against enemies, they think of the Army. They think of the BSF, patrolling the borders, watching the enemy eye to eye. They call them heroes. Shower them with medals, respect, and recognition. But I want to ask, what of the CRPF? The ones who fight within the country, in the jungles, in the streets, in the shadows, where no one cares to look?

You know, sometimes I wonder—do people even know who they are? I don’t think so. To tell a long story short, it is the force that is called in a crisis and forgotten the moment it’s over. The force that has suffered more, bled more, and yet remains in the shadows.

I was near Lok Kalyan Marg last month (Its where the Prime Minister and various other high-profile people live including the bureaucrats, politicians, defence personnels, etc.), basically google maps set me up with this, I wanted to visit Jor Bagh actually (Hehehe! Money, cars and bungalows, what else). I remember seeing a CRPF jawan standing near his post in the area nearby, so I went up to him for a small talk while I was having my biscuits (One of my bad habits. My friends often say that I have no social anxiety; which isn’t obviously true! It’s just that I feel they have greater screen time than I do, frankly double or triple of what I have). I asked, “Sir ek baat batao, abhi aap din bhar khade honge, thakaan ka to chalo chhodo, boring nahi lagta?” He smiled and said, “Haa hota hain, par remote ke liye jhagadne se to accha hain!” (Hahaha, funny. I could totally relate) I remember offering him some water which he rejected politely saying it’s not allowed when on duty (Man, I am so dumb, eatables from a stranger, duh). Then we had a conversation for a couple of minutes (Basically, me asking him about all the discrepancies in the services, like expectations vs reality) in which he said he hasn’t seen his family for months. “Video call pe hi sab kuch. Holi diwali new year, sabb kuch.” he said, and it stuck with me, I thought about it for a while and then I sat contemplating at a park nearby (One of my guilty-pleasure that I love imagining myself in someone else’s shoes as if I was experiencing the same crisis they are in).

On a serious note, their battle has no rules, no borders, no respite. Their enemy is sometimes a naxalbari from Chhattisgarh, a militant in Srinagar or a hatred-fueled rioter in Delhi. Sometimes, he is someone they think they are protecting. And then they get no leave. They are deployed all year round, moving from one hotspot to another. No permanent base, no stability (BSF at least has postings at fixed borders). CRPF jawan is in Kashmir for one year, next in Northeast India, then election duty, then VIP security. Families get used to living without them because they are never home. And even if they get leave, it is always cut short because something somewhere goes wrong, the first words someone hears are “CRPF ko bhejo.”

CRPF jawans during a protest in Kashmir

From what I know, and my knowledge is very limited, that an average BSF soldier spends a few months to couple of years at the border and then he is posted to a non-operational area, like army cantonments, it is called as ‘peace posting’ in their lingo. Basically, a period to rest, do official work, spend time with their families, regroup with their buddies, etc. There exists no facility like this for CRPF, their sole job is to be posted to an area which is unstable. Can you even imagine the stress they would have? They live in makeshifts camps, moving from one operation to another. Medical support is just a prayer in some cases, forget even a decent hospital.

How many times have you heard a CRPF getting a gallantry award? I assume none, because I don’t even know when was the last time someone got such recognition. Then again, an IPS is posted as their Director-General, directly cutting off their incentive to climb the ladder. This is just not fair, in my opinion. You expect someone from Navy to be an Admiral, someone from Air Force to be an Air Marshall and a Field Marshall is also someone from the Army, then why an IPS in CRPF? I am not suggesting the person might be incompetent, rather this is a very common phenomenon that happens in much of Indian departments, but how would he know the CRPF by serving a tenure of a year or so, how would he bring reforms that are actually good for the jawans?

Serving in Northeast India against insurgency

In recent years, the suicide rates have increased in the reserved police forces. I suspect it is due to perpetual postings in riot-torn areas, their clashes with left-wing extremism and insurgency, the struggle against the separatist elements. People complain how their life is miserable, how they can’t get over a girl that doesn’t like them back, or some girl that sobs at night because somebody did not give her the attention she wanted. I would advise them to join the reserved forces, so they would have a chance to be happy in their life again (Thank me later, always my pleasure to be your well-wisher). There is a reason why there are always vacancies in these forces, anytime of the year, and still they are not filled up, because no one wants to join them. Why? Because of the working conditions. So, it is an open-secret and no one does a thing. No one is interested because no one can make merry out of it. Their sacrifices are going to waste at this rate!

And even if they die on the field, there are no grand tributes, just a weeping widow who we know will struggle for years to get the pension that they were promised. No medals. No glory. No headlines. No recognitions.

 Still, who died in 2015 Manipur ambush? And in Pampore in 2016? What about the 2019 Pulwama attack? The infamous Bijapur conflict in 2021?

Duty-bound jawan after a militant attack in Kashmir

And yet, when things go wrong, they are the first to be blamed, a punching bag to hide political failures in decision-making. A mob gets out of control? CRPF didn’t do enough. A terrorist escapes? CRPF was careless. A naxal attack happens? CRPF was unprepared. No one asks why they don’t have better intelligence, why they don’t have helicopters for evacuations, why their weapons are outdated. And what hurts the most is the way people treat them. They stand taking stones, taking abuse, but can’t do a thing. They are not seen as protectors, but rather outsiders, who do not belong in the region. They still perform their duties. They still keep going. Because they swore to protect this country, even if the country doesn’t always acknowledge them. Every time. Without question.

I wonder if there will be a day when people will see them, like truly see them, and say, “CRPF is also the reason why we sleep safely at night.”

Maybe. Maybe not.

But till then, they will keep moving, regardless. Another day, another posting, another battle. Invisible, but still standing.

Now, tell me, just once, will you stop for a moment when you hear of a CRPF jawan falling in the line of duty? Will you remember his sacrifice? Will you honour him, even if the world does not?