New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed serious concern over the ongoing tussle between officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and their IPS counterparts, and wants this hostility between the two services to end at the earliest.
During his maiden visit to the CRPF headquarters in the national capital earlier this week, Shah enquired from senior officers why so many representations regarding the standoff were coming to him, and why the issue is not being resolved amicably, said sources.
This was the first time that the minister addressed the issue.
Officers in the two government services have been embroiled in a months-long tussle over the issue of granting pay parity to CAPF officers with their IPS counterparts.
While the Supreme Court had ruled earlier this year that CAPF officers should be granted the status of Organised Group ‘A’ Services (OGAS), there has been severe confusion over the interpretation of this order.
The sources said CRPF director general R.R. Bhatnagar, an IPS officer himself, told Shah that the CAPF officers were misinterpreting the SC orders, and that disciplinary action is being contemplated against some of the officers who took their grievances to social media.
“The home minister categorically said that no disciplinary inquiry should be held against any of the officers,” a senior official serving in the CRPF said. “He (Shah) said that officers from the CAPF must be engaged in dialogue and the ongoing hostility must be stopped.”
Shah is also learnt to have said the legal counsel representing the government and the CAPFs should be brought on the table, if required, to discuss the issue and correctly interpret the top court ruling.
Also read: Why IPS officers want to keep heading forces like CRPF, NSG & BSF
What the tussle is about
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) be granted to the CAPFs in accordance with their OGAS status.
The NFFU refers to the process under which whenever an IAS officer gets empanelled at a particular rank at the Centre, his or her Group-A service counterpart also gets elevated to the same rank on a non-functional basis after two years, irrespective of whether actually promoted or not.
While the CAPF officers have been of the view that their service rules should be upgraded to reflect their new status, it has not happened so far. They also believe upgrade of their service rules would stop the deputation of IPS officers in their forces.
The SC clarified that the question of the end of deputation of IPS officers was not something they were examining. However, the CAPF officers believe it is only logical that once they are given the status of OGAS, their Recruitment Rules be upgraded to reflect the change.
The seemingly minor technicality has led to a full-fledged battle between the cadre officers of the CAPFs and IPS officers, with the former writing hundreds of letters to Home Minister Amit Shah and the home secretary, and taking to social media to draw attention to their grievances.
Also read: IPS officers defending hegemony over CAPFs is like British justifying their rule over India
HM seems to have expressed his concern over the tussle between CAPF cadre officers & IPS officers over the issue of implementation of #NFFU & #OGAS based on the one sided briefings made before him by the channels which are predominantly controlled by the IPS officers themselves. It is very unlikely that he get to know the version & actual issue. Wish he holds a meeting with Cadre officers, serving & retired to appraise him with crux of the problem & hindrances which are being created to prolong this problem & role being played by different stakeholders to the disadvantage of Cadre officers .
Pmo#hm#hs#secydopt#dgcrpf#justice4paramilitary #OGAS2CAPF#NFFU2CAPF#whydelayOGAS2CAPF#paramilitary forces#bsf#crpf#cisf#itbp#ssb#changerecriutmentrule#DivyaRPathak#gurender_jit#Heeracjs- it is most unfortunate if true that instead of implementing of NFFU, CRPF is planning to take action against officers who projected their grievances on social media despite advice of Hon’ble HM to DG CRPF to sort out issue of NFFU by talking to officers and not take any action against officers who taken to social media on this issue as reported in media, all CAPF ‘s are implementing in different manner,MHA needs to take note
Sir,
There can’t be any dispute with a third party.
The Organised Group ‘A’ Service (OGAS) status granted by the hon’ble courts to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) with accompanying benefits of Non Functional Financial Upgradation (NFFU) ,with method laid down by Min of Home Affairs & in vogue in other OGASs, may be applied to CAPFs undiluted (May be under the watch of. Neutral observer) and no service with interest running counter to grant of OGAS to CAPFs be allowed to interpret & modulate court orders without any locus between Courts & CAPFs.
The HM does not need to request DG CRPF to resolve the matter. In fact, all instruction for faulty implementation are either flowing out of MHA or endorsed by them. HMO has to give specific instructions to all DsG for rule based procedure for fair and correct implementation of SC judgement and Cabinet decision. There the matter will get resolved within least possible time.
There can’t be any dispute with third party.
The OGAS status granted to CAPFs with accompanying benefits may be applied to CAPFs undiluted (may be under the watch of a neutral observer) and no service with interest running counter to grant of OGAS to CAPFs be allowed to interpret & modulate court orders without any locus between the Courts & the CAPFs.
The orders of the Hon’ble Supreme court and DHC are absolutely unequivocal and leave hardly any scope to even read betwee the lines. But as it came for implementation , the CAPF Heads, MHA and DOPT got together to devise ways and means to somehow dilute the verdict of the honourable courts without attracting a contempt. The initial orders of the government granting parity with other central services were quickly revisited and fresh set of orders were issued to deny the relief given to the CAPF cadre officers. CAPF are the only organisations which were kept deprived of the legitimate benefits of the regularly constituted service for decades and all by malicious design. The irony in CAPF is that their voice of the cadre officers is always muffled by their IPS bosses who represent the department.
Thankfully, now we have the courts and a well meaning HM to see through the design. The suggestion of the Hon’ble HM to settle the issue across the table is highly appreciable. Who is interested in litigation that goes on for years and in an environment like ours where our IPS bosses leave no chance to threaten dire consequences and punish concerned officers by difficult and frequent postings quoting operational exigencies. Hon’ble sensed this as well and directed no action against officers for going to media etc. CAPF officers would obviousely have no objection to amicable settlement outside the court but the initiative has to come from the government and let the deliberations be led by independent and qualified senior ranking officials
Where lies the difficulty for HM to find the real causes of tussle. HM is telling the ruling class to settle the issue whereas they are settling the scores by not implementing the OGAS in letter and spirit to CAPF officers. Legitimate dues are being denied by illegal means. MHA bureacracy is again with them to spoil the whole issue on implementation of OGAS and all of them are directly working directly under HM. It is something like asking Pakistan to find ways and solution to stop terrorism in Kashmir. It is high time that implementation of OGAS be given to some International or multinational consulting companies like M/S McKinsey and Co, M/S Deloitte, M/S Ernst & Young etc. Going on right step PM Mr Modi has already started taking JS level officers in Govt of India from these companies for better governance.
India is sovereign for past 72 yrs, despite guarantee of equal rights to all the citizens of the country, in our constitution and Govt as well as judiciary been in agreement that the cadre of CAPF Officers is an organised Group “A”Service since 1986 and the Cadre officeers should be extended their due legitimate rights, in matter of promotions and financial upgradation, at par with other Organised group “A” services, but unfortunately the IPS loby by virtue of their having occupied the seats of Policy Makers, Willy -nilly, right from the very beginning are/ have been bending the rules, misleading the Govt/Judiciary / MHA/DOPT only to injudiciously mar Cadre officers intrest, subjugate them to their designs in service matter / career progression & perpetually militate, against the intrest of cadre officers, merely only to protect the lateral & vertical induction of IPS in cadre as well as their deputation & also to project their euphamistical self imagined & self assumed supremacy over Cadre offices.
We as a class have suffered endless victamisation & humiliations for decades together, from our own IPS brethren. Now they like a British colonial exploiter have planned unending exploration of our posterity, whom they have shackled with chains of conduct rules, with all kinds of denials & deprivations. We are hurt & want justice for one and all in the cadre. If they have aspirations for themselves, we also want to rise and ensure our posterity grows and develops, unlike what we have suffered in 4 decades of our dedicated service to the Nation and making of supreme sacrifices by our cadre kith & kin while defending the suzeranity of the Nation. I wish Some good sense prevails to our IPS brethren & they will further not throw spanners in our path of progess & financial benefits.
The ruling class of CPMF, the IPS bosses- should shun their authoritarian mind set and despassionatly appriciate the long pending aspirations of officers of CPMF. Of their own the IPS bosses never afforded the rightful dues to officers of CPMF and generations of officers have served the and left the force sans dignity and decoram. The deprived officers lot of CPMF were pushed to knock the court of law for justice as their grivence had remained unaddressed for decades. The supreme court identified the gross injustice and discrimination being mated out to CPMF officers and ordered to extend all the benifits of Organised service to them. Yet the IPS lobby is hell bent, to subvert the issue by misinterpreting the judgment and rules governing organised services. The IPS bosses MHA and DOPT should be fair and just to the officers of CPMF and implement the the judgment in letter and spirits if there is a modicum of fairness left in them. CPMF is one of the best disciplined and performing outfits of govt of India and it’s morale, discipline and professionalism need to be maintained by being fair to it’s officers. Yes, HM is fair in seeking resolution of the impass by discussion. But will the powers that still rule the force do it with a sense of Justice and fairness…?!
IN FACT, INTIMIDATION OF CADRE OFFICERS BY IPS SHOULD STOP! Inquiries by false allegations will only vitiate matters.
Seriously! Hostility? Its like the brits seeking amnesty for the massacres committed to enslave #India! Befooling, restricting & denying rights of undercommand has never resulted in any good!
CAPFs officers are in principle against any parachute leadership when they themselves are better capable to lead these forces as DG however, this battle is not about this policy decision but about the implementation of Organised service status in letter and spirit.
Two things must be very clear while analyzing the very subject:
1.As per OGAS norms, services must be closed for any deputation upto SAG level i.e. IG rank in paramilitary structure .CAPF officers are asking for implementation of same. Above IG rank it’s upto Govt policy how they want to run an organization.Weather by cadre officers or by deputation or by both.
2.For non functional financial upgradation (NFFU) there is common formula for all OGAS i.e. IAS +2 which means whenever any IAS officer in centre promoted a to a particular rank then all officers of organised services( 02 years senior to that IAS batch) will be given non functional financial upgradation of same level even if promotion can’t b granted.This concept was started by govt as per recommendation of 6th pay commision to bring pay parity among all organised services. For implementation of NFFU the first thing is required to frame service rules as per organised services.
While in case of CAPFs, existing recruitment rules were drafted by IPS DsG considering them non organised. After Hnble SC decision, IPS DsG are now trying to implement NFFU with existing RRs(which is impossible) and unnecessarily inserting residency clause and compulsion of promotional courses unlikely to other OGAS which resulted pay disparity not only between CAPF officers and other OGAS but also disparity of pay between the officers of same batch of CAPFs.So what IPS DsG are trying to implement is not NFFU but something else which may be named as NRFU(Next rank financial upgradation).
The soul of NFFU is to establish pay parity among all organised services for which service rules similar to other OGAS will have to be framed.
Matter is not complex but the vested interest of deputation has created unfortunate tussle between ground commanders and dputationist.It is the duty of MHA to respond in a mature manner without any influence of powerful lobby.Question of biased approach of MHA emerged while responsibility of NFFU implementation was given to IPS DsG who were against the Organised status to CAPF officers from beginning.IPS association without any reason was party against CAPF officers in high court and supreme court which were surprisingly never never questioned by MHA.After supreme court decision there was immediate need to form a transparent high powered committee without involving any lobby/group to implement NFFU which has never been done by MHA.
Situation is not yet worse but heading in same direction, hence MHA will have to take call instead of leaving it to IPS officers to settle matter amicably.IPS officers has lost all respect of under commands in CAPFs due to their adamant and selfish attitude which is very dangerous in national security scenario.
Jai Hind
Hon’ble HM has correctly appreciated the problem, everyone should now work in the direction of extending benefits of OGAS and NFFU
Hon’ble HM has correctly appreciated the problem,MHA and DOPT need to sit and work out mechanism so that benefits of OGAS and NFFU are extended without any delay ,present leadership in CAPFs needs rise above
Pl inform for what aspect moderation required
HM has correctly appreciated the problem ,however it can be solved if IPS officers commanding CAPFs rise above and show true leadership by extending benefits in the correct spirit instead being guided by narrow considerations ,MHA and DOPT need to sit together and work out mechanism so that benefits are extended to all cadre officers without any further delay ,it is sad that Hon’ble SC had to rule in this matter which should have been corrected by MHA and DOPT long back as they were all aware of it.
Pl intimate about aspect moderation required