Controversy is going on when asked about caste and religion in the recruitment of Agniveers in the army. Opposition leaders allege that caste and religion were asked for the first time.
On the other hand, the government says that this system is already in force and caste or any religion has nothing to do with army recruitment.
When we investigated the opposition's charge and the government's response, we came to know that the cast, community, and region-based regiments i.e. military teams in the army were formed by the British, which are still in place today. However, caste, religion, and community do not play any role in army recruitment.
The Army itself had submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court in 2013 saying that there is no recruitment in the army based on caste, region, and religion.
At the same time, while justifying people coming from the same area in the regiments, it was said that this is done due to administrative and operational requirements.
The Government's Press Information Bureau, i.e. PIB, told on 10 December 2021 that there are currently 27 infantry regiments in the army. The oldest of these is the Punjab Regiment formed in 1705.
We started this investigation with retired Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni. He told that 'India's army has a regimental system. Like Jats, Sikhs, Dogras, Garhwal…. After recruitment, the soldiers are asked about the choice of regiment. Then it is seen which regiment they can be sent to. In this, it is necessary to know what is the caste or religion of the jawan. Because on this basis our regiments stand.
There are many regiments in which people of all castes, regions, and communities are included. In some, there are people of two or three castes. For example, Rajputana Rifles have the same number of Rajputs and Jats.
On the other hand, the Rajput regiment consists of Rajputs, Gujars, and Muslims. However, despite such regiments, no caste, religion, or region has anything to do with the recruitment of the army.
“Whoever is saying that religion and caste are being asked for the first time in army recruitment, he is completely wrong. Because the process of recruitment in the army is going on since the time of the British. Some regiments have had more than 200 years. When the British used to keep Indians in the army, they also asked about caste and religion.
According to retired Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain, it is necessary to know the religion of the jawan even to perform the last rites. Regiments have different norms.
The jawan can't select the right regiment without knowing the caste, religion, and region. There is no information about whether there is going to be any change after the Agneepath scheme.
British changed the policy after the revolt of 1857
According to the information given on the website of Global Security, from 1892, the policy of the army gradually started changing. Recruitment was discontinued on a territorial basis and started on a class line.
This means people of the same religion, caste and race were started recruiting into the army. Between 1892 and 1914, recruitment was confined to the Marshall Race. The army was divided into two categories martial and non-martial.
According to Arvind Ganachari's book 'Indians in the First World War', the Jonathan Peel Commission was given the task of identifying social groups, regions, and loyal soldiers.
The revolt of 1857 took place in the eastern and southern parts of the country, so the people here were not recruited into the army. Recruitment centers were set up in northern India.
Created a class of martial and non-martial
Martial Class: In this, those people were kept who have a history of fighting a war. whose ancestors were fighters? In these North, Indians were given preference.
Non-Martial Class: In this, those people were kept who were considered unfit for war. Due to the revolt of 1857, the people of Bengal were kept in this category.
Experts say that it can be said that the recruitment based on race and caste was done to divide colonial Indian society and prevent future revolts.
Regiment formed to divide the community
According to Arvind Ganachari's book 'Indians in the First World War', the recruitment policy made in the army after the revolt of 1857 was made to separate one community from another community.
In the recruitment of soldiers, attention was given to which community they come from rather than any individual. In the recruitment of a soldier, his caste, religion, and race became more important.
The people of the North and Western parts were kept in the martial race. These included Sikhs, Pathans, Balochi, and some communities of Muslims. Gorkha and Dogra communities were also kept.
It was only after the revolt of 1857 that religious Sikhs were inducted into the Indian Army and the first Sikh regiment was formed. A large number of Jats, Gorkhas, Sikhs, and Pathans were inducted into the units to counter the Bengal Army coming from the upper castes.
Due to the increase in military activities in the North-West, these classes became popular among the British officers and due to this, the recruitment of the people of the lower classes started decreasing gradually.
The British, who started the regimented system, had also made a policy that recruitment should not be done from one place. The motive behind this was that if there was a rebellion from one place, then the other could be raised against it.
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