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ITBP unit complains of discrimination on UN mission

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police contingent, which was a part of United Nations peacekeeping troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, says it was discriminated against by the UN troops of other countries, mainly those from the United States.

The 143-member contingent, which returned to New Delhi recently after a successful year-long mission, said although Indian troops' performance was par excellence, still it was not given its due by its counterparts from other countries. ''Some of us were maltreated and insulted by our superiors who were from European countries but we never lost our patience,'' said a member of the contingent while narrating his experiences at a press conference in New Delhi.

Gautam Kaul, director general of the ITBP, said the treatment could be a result of ''jealousy'' on the part of other contingents which springs from better performance. Indian contingents' performance was second to none. It was natural on the part of other contingents to feel jealous, he said.

When asked whether such matters were reported to the Indian Government, he said it was preferred to resolve them locally.

Indian contingents on UN peace missions in many other countries including Somalia, have also complained of maltreatment and discrimination by their European commanders, even though they were very popular with the local population and the forces loyal to rebel commander Gen Farah Mohammed Aideed.

M K Singh, deputy commandant of the ITBP and a member of the delegation, said very few Indians were given top posts despite their better performance. ''Most of the top positions went to officials from European countries, mainly the US and Britain. However, the Indian contingent was the only one to have 90 special appointees''.

There were contingents from 43 countries on the mission.

However, Indians received more respect from the local population than their counterparts from other countries did, including Pakistan, whose troops had the disadvantage of being Muslims posted in a country where the main conflict is between Christians and Muslims. ''They were looked upon with suspicion,'' one of the members said.

He said on the other hand, Indians were treated with respect by the local population as they came from the country of ''Gandhi and Nehru.'' ''The friendship between Nehru and former Yugoslav President Marshal Tito is remembered by people all over the country.'' Also, there was a general feeling that only Indians could do justice.

Moreover, the Indian contingent's multi-religious character was also an advantage.

The member also said some UN peacekeepers went to many volatile areas after removing their badges to hide their identity. Only Indian troops did not remove their badges, and they were respected for that. ''The reason is that we knew exactly how to handle a situation like the one in Bosnia-Herzegovina where the conflict is communal. We have handled such situations in India a number of times.''

However, the stint with the UN peacekeepers from other countries had its advantages too. They had to learn computers within 30 days of which they had no knowledge. This was in addition to the exposure to and mixing with the forces of other countries.

The most important thing that they learnt during the year-long mission was to respect human rights, the ITBP personnel said, adding that this was the most needed thing in India. ''We actually learned how to handle human rights cases. We feel that this needs to be discussed properly in India.''

UNI

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