According to the association, candidates had enrolled in online training and submitted certificates that were later declared fake by the BSF. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
While the Delhi Police denied permission to the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) to hold its October 10 protest at Jantar Mantar, saying the application was submitted at short notice, there is another group of protesters — more than 400 former Border Security Force (BSF) personnel — who were also denied police approval for their own protest despite having applied for it around a month earlier, on September 9.
The former BSF personnel eventually held the demonstration against their dismissal from service on the pavement outside the BSF headquarters in central Delhi on Friday (October 9, 2026). They had applied for permission for a “two-day hunger strike/protest” at Jantar Mantar, but the police said hunger strikes were unlawful and that a two-day continuous agitation is not permitted due to existing Supreme Court guidelines.
Since July 26, when the protest demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister wound up, the Delhi Police have allowed no demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, a designated site for protests.
Many of the 400 former BSF personnel, who arrived from different parts of the country, had received appointment letters under the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Mela programme, but were dismissed after around two years of service. The group, including cooks, water carriers and women recruits of the BSF, gathered under the banner of the Alliance of All Ex-Paramilitary Forces Welfare Associations and staged a protest near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Metro Station in the national capital, demanding reinstatement after being dismissed over allegedly forged skill-certification documents. The dismissed personnel, however, said they were the victims of cyber fraud, rather than deliberate wrongdoing.
Cyber fraud
According to the association, candidates had enrolled in online training and submitted certificates that were later declared fake by the BSF, leading to their dismissal after one-and-a-half to two years of service.
The association has cited replies obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, claiming that the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) did not issue the relevant certificates between 2015 and 2023. It further alleges that an NSDC Level-1 course for cook and water-carrier posts was not available on the SIDH portal during that period.
The association claimed that a cyber fraudster based in Koderma, Jharkhand, operating under the name “Defence 93”, had allegedly issued fake certificates from multiple addresses, and that police complaints had been filed in the matter.
The protesters also alleged inconsistency in the handling of similar cases. According to the association, one recruit was retained in service after being given an opportunity to rectify deficiencies in her documentation, while another recruit was allegedly allowed to continue in service following intervention by the Assam government.
The association said it had submitted documents related to these cases to BSF authorities and sought a review of what it described as differential treatment. It also urged the force to investigate correspondence purportedly written in support of one of the recruits.
Financial strain
Representatives of the dismissed personnel said many of those removed from service had worked for nearly two years and had received appreciation from their units for their performance. They claimed that several recruits had also taken bank loans of ₹5 lakh to ₹7 lakh during their service and are now struggling with repayments following their dismissal.
The association said the loss of employment had placed hundreds of families under financial strain and appealed to the BSF and the Union government to consider reinstatement on humanitarian grounds.
The association has requested that the dismissed BSF tradesmen be given a time-bound opportunity to submit fresh and valid certificates and be reinstated in service.
In a statement, association general secretary Ranbir Singh reiterated the demand for the reinstatement of more than 400 personnel. A delegation led by former BSF Additional Director General H.R. Singh also approached the BSF headquarters and urged the Director General to interact with the dismissed personnel and hear their grievances.
Published – October 09, 2026 10:58 pm IST
