To,

The Hon’ble  Defense Minister of India

Shri Mohan Parrikar

104, South Block,

New Delhi

 

Dear Sir,

Sub: Request for abolition of caste based names of regiments in the Indian Army

I am yogesh kumar shivhare who is doing Phd in experiment psychology from IIT Indore.As an Aware Indian citizen and having my firm belief in our Indian constitution I came to know that there are regiments in our Indian army whose names are caste and region based  which I am mentioning below:

 

1. Punjab Regiment

2. Madras Regiment

3. Maratha Light Infantry

4. Rajputana Rifles

5. Rajput Regiment

6. Jat Regiment

7. Sikh Regiment

8. Sikh Light Infantry

9. Dogra Regiment

10. Garhwal Rifles

11. Kumaon Regiment

12. Assam Regiment

13. Bihar Regiment

14. Jammu & Kashmir Rifles

15. Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry

16. Naga Regiment

17. 1 Gorkha Rifles

18. 3 Gorkha Rifles

19. 4 Gorkha Rifles

20. 5 Gorkha Rifles

21. 8 Gorkha Rifles

22. 9 Gorkha Rifles

23. 11 Gorkha Rifles

24. Ladakh Scouts

25. Arunachal Scouts

26. Sikkim Scouts.

 

Sir,As Our Preamble of  constitution  Guarrantees  us   equality,justice,fraternity  and Social Justice is  more important than economical  and political justice So why is there  caste  and region based discrimination among Indian soldiers even after post independence ? I think The regimental system of the Indian Army reflects the British colonial legacy.So why are  we following those norms which had reminiscence of our colonial past?

Prior to Independence, most of the infantry regiments of the Indian Army were raised on a caste basis. Although the support arms, such as the Army Service Corps (ASC) or the Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), had no specific caste composition, the infantry regiments were strictly caste units. Some infantry regiments recruited from only one caste, such as the Sikh Regiment. Other regiments operated on the class-company basis, in which a battalion level would consist of companies of different castes. Thus, in the Kumaon Regiment, a battalion would have a Kumaoni company, an Ahir Company, a Jat Company, etc. “This class company system was initiated by the British primarily to avoid a repetition of the 1857 uprising.”

So it is cleared  that  Britishers have used this caste based weapon to create rift between soldiers to avoid any mutiny in near future.

In post independence during Indian Gandhi regime there was a little unrest in the armed forces due to Operation Blue Star  then it was proposed that all the infantry units be intermixed [no Rajput regiment, Sikh regiment, etc]. But in the end the proposal was dropped. Since 1989 the government has sought to apportion recruitment from each state and union territory according to its share of the population. The Indian Army has still not discarded the colonial tradition of recruitment based on alloting vacancies categorywise.

Our Indian army’s parade song”Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja is taken by Subhash Chandra bose’s INA .But let me remind you that There was no caste  and region based regiment in INA.Infact  He named the regiments in the name of patriots for e.g “Rani Jhansi regiment”.

Our Constitution  confers us right to equality in article 14 which states that   “State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of india.

The second concept”Equal protection of the laws” connotes:

(a)The equality of treatment under equal circumstances,both in privileges conferred and liabilities imposed by the laws,

(b)The similar  application of the same laws to all persons who are similarly situated,and

(c )The like should be treated alike without  any discrimination.

And Our constitution laid down some socialistic priniciples under article 38 which directs the state

(a)To promote the welfare of the people by securing a social order permeated by justice-social,economic and political-and to minimize inequalities in income,status,facilities and opportunities

 

And let me tell you  that  the nomination of regiments on the bases of caste shows “inequalities in  social status”.

 

So State must ensure equality of social status in “Indian army” by abolishing caste based regiments.and As your big admirer I request you to take suitable action.

 

With Regards,                                                                                                                       

Your Sincerely

Yogesh Kumar Shivhare

Phd Research Scholar

IIT  Indore