By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, July 2016: The Tibetan soldiers of the Special Frontier Force, an Indian paramilitary group which fought valiantly in various battlefields in the Indian sub-continent since the 1963, will get their pension from the Indian government, according to a ruling by the Delhi High Court.
Close to 6000 Tibetan veterans of the SFF will avail the benefits. The welcome judgement however has been marred to a certain extent after the central government sought extension for the deadline for the project citing consultations with various ministries and technicalities for the deployment of funds estimated to around Rs 600 Crores. A High court bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Sunil Gaur ruled for an extension of the deadline to a further four months starting June 2 (in addition to 6 months already granted following HC decision on Jan 29).
Currently, any SFF retiree with a minimum of 15 years service or those discharged on medical grounds after 1999 receive pension benefits, yet a bulk of Tibetan servicemen who have toured active battlefields like that of the 1971 Bangladesh war and frequented the harsh stints at Siachen glaciers are yet to receive any benefits besides the lump sum amount they were given on discharge which were basically their own savings as well as a small gratuity amount.
The High Court on the issue of disparity to the pre and post 1999 retirees ruled, “There is no justification why this differentia is introduced, given that both pre- and post-2009 SFF retirees performed the same duties and stood to benefit in terms of rank parity with army personnel, for purposes of pensionary benefits, since 1985.”
Sherab Gyatso, the head of the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Union here, told Phayul, “The welcome decision of the Indian government has not been implemented yet as there are many details to be sorted out, but we have confidence that the deserving ex-servicemen will soon receive pension benefits.”
With the decision approved on paper, veterans who have waited many years are now hoping that the implementation does not get stalled behind bureaucratic lines. Another former recruit who fought in the 1984 Siachen glacier war against Pakistan and also took part in “operation Meghdoot” which secured control over the glacier, told Phayul, “The retirement benefits to us is a good news since many of my fellow servicemen have had to go back to harsh lives impaled by poverty and other problems without any help. The decision although a little late, is still welcome.”
The High Court in their judgement earlier this year expressed solidarity with the plight of the many Tibetans who fought valiantly for a cause which is not their own. “They were not army regulars, nor are they Indian nationals. Yet, they stood at the border, shoulder to shoulder with Indian Army personnel, to patrol and defend our borders. The Indian Union gave them grudging and incremental recognition for these services,” the High Court mentioned.
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