Kohima, April 9 (MExN): The 10th IRB Battalion is scheduled to leave Nagaland along with the 9th Battalion for the upcoming election duty in Karnataka on April 10. This comes amidst outcries from the soldiers around issues of discrepancies regarding their Daily Allowances (DA) and the Railway seats given to them. Sources revealed that the protest was caused because the soldiers were allotted Rs 225 as daily allowance instead of the usual Rs 275, in addition to being given general berth rail reservation up to their destination in Karnataka.
Speaking to The Morung Express, a soldier of the battalion exclaimed, “The journey till Karnataka takes more than three days and to travel the whole journey seated in the general berths will definitely take a toll on the soldiers.” He added, “I believe we have every right to know why we are travelling in General berths instead of Sleeper Class berths. We understand if it is just a one day journey, but a journey of more than three days seating in a General compartment carrying our weapons, deprived of sleep, speaks of some discrepancies.”
The Battalion is geared up to leave for poll bound Karnataka, but more dissent could unfold tomorrow if the issues and needs of the soldiers are not addressed.
