New Delhi: 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.
DIG B.C. Patra was suspended under Rule 10(1) of the CCS rules following his return from an NSG deputation.
More than 20 cadre officers, including Commandants and COs serving in strategic units, were abruptly transferred across the country.
Ex-paramilitary leaders allege the suspensions and transfers were a targeted harassment campaign aimed at silencing officers who challenged the bill and filed related court petitions.
The Central Armed Police Forces Bill codified recruitment and service conditions but controversially reserved a massive majority of senior leadership roles (such as IG, ADG, and DG positions) for IPS officers on deputation.
This move triggered massive unrest within the forces. Cadre officers argue that these provisions directly contradict the Supreme Court’s rulings, which sought to reduce IPS dominance and alleviate extreme career stagnation for roughly 13,000 CAPF officers.
