Early Times Report
NEW DELHI, June 24: The CRPF has suspended a senior DIG-rank officer for sharing content allegedly "against" the government during the recent passage of the CAPF bill, which the cadre officers of these forces had called discriminatory.
This is the first such case among the approximately 15,000 cadre officers entrusted with leadership roles in the country's 10-lakh-strong Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
Officials identified the officer who faced action as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) B C Patra, posted at the force's Tripura Sector headquarters in Agartala.
The 1994-batch CRPF cadre officer returned to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in April after completing a deputation posting with the federal counter-terrorist commando force NSG.
Officials said Patra was suspended a few days ago under Sub-Rule (1) of Rule 10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965 pending a preliminary enquiry.
They said the charges involve sharing audio-visual and pictorial content on social media platforms that allegedly called for "changing" the country's lawfully elected government during the passage of the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill 2026.
The bill is now an Act after it received presidential assent in April.
CRPF Director General (DG) G P Singh confirmed the development to PTI.
"All serving and uniformed officers of the CRPF are bound by the rules and statutes and the oath taken.
"Any word(s)- written or spoken or action contravening the same would be dealt appropriately in consonance with the law of the land," the DG said.
Patra could not be contacted for comment.
However, officers privy to the case said the action against the DIG was "mala fide" and "unjustified".
They said the officer (Patra) is being targeted because he was the lead petitioner among the CAPF cadre officers who fought cases relat "All serving and uniformed officers of the CRPF are
bound by the rules and statutes and the oath taken. Any word(s)- written or spoken or action contravening the same would be dealt with appropriately in consonance with the law of the land."
"The DIG is being unfairly treated and punished by the CRPF headquarters because he led the legal battle for the rightful claims of the cadre officers on par with the Indian Police Service (IPS) officers who join the CAPFs on deputation," a senior officer said on the condition of anonymity.
He claimed that about two dozen other officers of the force who prominently fought court cases were recently issued "hasty" posting orders.
An association of ex-CAPF officers has also called a press conference on July 2 against the "hasty and illegal" suspension of the DIG, in addition to targeting CAPF personnel whose families protested the CAPF Bill at the Rajghat in the national capital in April.
"DIG Patra is an outstanding officer who has been commended with multiple awards," said Ranbir Singh, general secretary of the Alliance of All Ex Paramilitary Forces Welfare Association (AAPWA) said.
In their representations sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), serving cadre officers stated that the Bill's provisions were "oppressive" and "discriminatory" and that they would continue to stagnate in their current ranks if IPS deputations were not curtailed as directed by the Supreme Court in an order issued last year.
The Centre filed an appeal against this order which the apex court rejected.
The government said the bill seeks to create a unified legal framework governing the service conditions of personnel across the CAPFs, replacing the current patchwork of separate service rule regimes for cadre officers and those coming on deputation from the Indian Police Service (IPS).
MHA officers have said that the deputation of IPS officers in CAPFs was a "valid requirement" as they are an all-India service and play supervisory role in the state police organisations too. | 