2 soldiers allege torture and exploitation by senior officers

BHOPAL: Two Indian Army soldiers have made serious allegations against their senior officers, claiming they were physically tortured and forced to perform menial tasks unrelated to their military duties.


The soldiers, Harendra Singh and Shankar Singh Gurjar, accused their superiors of coercing them into performing household chores such as sweeping, mopping, cooking, and even serving as waiters at private parties.

They also claimed that any attempt to protest or refuse the tasks resulted in threats of dismissal and verbal abuse.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Gwalior, the soldiers said they were recruited to serve and protect the nation but were instead treated like domestic workers in the officers' bungalows.

The soldiers revealed they submitted a written complaint to defence minister Rajnath Singh on October 4, but claimed no action was taken to address their grievances.

Harendra Singh, one of the soldiers, alleged that the officers do not care about their duty to protect the country.

"If we raise our voice against it, we are threatened with dismissal. This is not a new issue—such exploitation has been going on since the time of British colonial rule, and our senior officers continue to uphold this unjust tradition," he alleged.

Shankar Singh Gurjar, who hails from Datia district in Madhya Pradesh, said he joined the Army in March 2013 with the sole intention of serving the country.

"But since then, we have been subjected to constant exploitation by our senior officers. After finishing our regular duties, we are ordered to serve as waiters at social gatherings at the officers' homes. If we protest, we are intimidated into silence," he alleged, addressing reporters at Gwalior.

The two soldiers said they were not seeking financial compensation but were asking for justice and for the exploitation to end.