ISLAMABAD – Defence Ministry reacts over media reports of new Indian ArmyUnits based on caste, Region and Religion.
The Indian Defence Ministry has categorically ruled out establishing armyunits based on caste, region or religion.
The move comes after the country’s Minister of State for Defence ShripadNaik said on Wednesday that the government had received several proposalsfrom parliamentarians about establishing a new regiment in the army.
“After Independence, it has been the policy of the Government of India notto raise any new Regiment for a particular class/community/religion orregion,” Naik told parliamentarians on Wednesday in the lower house of theparliament, adding that the decision is in line with government policy: allcitizens irrespective of their class, creed, region, or religion areeligible for enrolment in the Indian Army.
For the past few years, especially during election time, politicians havebeen demanding army divisions based on region, ethnicity, faith, caste orlanguage.
During the 2019 General Elections, the party of former defence ministerMulayam Singh Yadav – Samajwadi – promised to form an Ahir (Yadav) InfantryRegiment if elected to office.
Read Top Stories
Similar demands about reinstating the Chamar regiment — formed during WorldWar II — were raised by the firebrand Bhim Army, anlinkgroup claiming to represent the lower castes of Hindus.
hadThe National Commission for Scheduled Castes had also written a letterin 2017 to the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar seeking “revival ofthe Chamar regiment in the Indian Army”.
Currently, there are several regiments and units which are named aftercaste, community and region — like Jat, Sikh, Rajput, Dogra, Mahar, Jammyand Kashmir Rifles, Gorkha and the Sikh Light Infantry. However, the IndianArmy claimed that these units do not represent people only from theparticular caste, community or region.
The allegation against selecting people in the prestigious army unit thePresident’s Bodyguardlinkreachedcourt in 2018 when Gaurav Yadav filed a petition claiming that only menbelonging to three castes – Jat Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs – coud apply joinit.
