In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly, urged the Central Government to provide paramilitary troops the same facilities, respect, and recognition as the Indian Armed Forces.

Tejashwi emphasized the vital role that law enforcement agencies such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Assam Rifles (AR) play in preserving internal security, combating terrorism, and securing the nation’s borders in his letter dated May 14, which he posted on social media platform X on Tuesday.

“While these personnel often make the supreme sacrifice, their compensation, honor, and welfare provisions are not at par with those of the Army, Navy, and Air Force,” Tejashwi said.

He referred to the current discrepancy as “unfair and discriminatory” and said paramilitary martyrs should be treated with the same respect and get the same rewards after their deaths as members of the regular military.

He emphasized that both forces make equal contributions to the country’s security and defense.

Tejashwi requested that the Center designate paramilitary martyrs as “Battle Casualties” in order to provide their families better pay and benefits as well as equitable access to government aid, such as employment, pensions, and educational help.

He called for the One Rank One Pension (OROP) to be extended to paramilitary soldiers operating in comparable risk environments and the automatic adoption of the liberalized pension plan for the families of fallen service members.

Tejashwi said that despite the bravery and sacrifice of paramilitary martyrs, their families still endure indifference and urged the Union Government to take immediate action to rectify the discrepancy.

“I urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to initiate policy reforms that ensure equality, dignity, and justice for all security forces,” Tejashwi said.

The letter from the RJD leader comes at a time when concerns about uniformed personnel welfare and internal security are in the national limelight, especially in light of recent skirmishes and sacrifices made by paramilitary forcesoss the country.

During ‘Operation Sindoor’, a few paramilitary members recently gave their lives in the line of duty to preserve the country. BSF SI Mohammad Imtiaz of