The Indian Army is one of the largest and prestigious institutions in India, seen as a symbol of national pride and unity. However, the Army has historically been dominated by certain castes. This is the legacy or burden of the colonial idea of Martial Race that India still carries to some extent in the 21st century. The Indian Army still has regiments with caste, religion, and community names. It still asks for caste certificates during recruiting.
This opinion article aims to explore the historical and sociological factors that have led to the exclusion of Dalits/Scheduled Castes/Depressed Classes from the Army and the efforts made to include them.
Recently, India celebrated the birth anniversary of former deputy prime minister and defence minister Babu Jagjivan Ram (1908-1986). Many important dignitaries and leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remembered him. Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit leader, made efforts to include Dalits in the Army. However, his attempts were met with resistance, and General Sam Manekshaw, then-Chief of Army Staff, refused to entertain the idea.
In his book Army and Nation, Yale University’s political science professor Steven Wilkinson narrated the episode in detail, explaining how during an interview, Lieutenant General SK Sinha recounted an incident from 1972 when Jagjivan Ram, defence minister at the time, questioned the number of Scheduled Castes being commissioned from the Indian Military Academy (IMA). Sinha informed him that the percentage of SCs was only 1%. Ram was surprised and wrote to General Manekshaw, asking why the government’s reservation policy was not being followed. Manekshaw asked Sinha to draft a reply. Sinha found a note in the files stating that reservations did not apply to the Army. In his reply, Sinha mentioned that the Army had more than 15% SCs in the ranks below officers, thanks to the Mahar Regiment and every battalion having 75-100 depressed classes as sweepers, cobblers, dhobis, and so on. Wilkinson explained why and how the idea was shelved.
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Dalits in militaries
The recruitment of Dalits in the Army has a long and complex history. During the early days of the East India Company, Dalits were recruited in large numbers as soldiers. In the 1818 Battle of Koregaon, a battalion of Indian soldiers defeated the forces of the high-caste Peshwa rulers. A significant number of the 500 soldiers in the battalion led by the British belonged to the Mahar caste — which was considered “untouchable” or ritually impure under the Peshwa rule, and its members faced numerous humiliating restrictions.
This is also true about Dusadh or Paswans. Keshav Paswan, in his book A Warrior Caste, has asserted that Dusadh soldiers fought on both sides in the Battle of Plassey (1757). The British also recruited soldiers from various social groups and regions at various times: Bhils, Santals, Moplas, Ahirs, Minas, Christians, Kolis, and other Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
Martial Race based recruitment, which led to non-recruitment of the depressed classes in the British Indian Army, has its genesis in the 1857 revolt. The post-1857 reorganisation of the Indian Army by the Jonathan Peel Commission involved recruiting soldiers from various social groups and regions, with emphasis on caste, religion, ethnicity, and race. The 1879 Ashley Eden Commission upheld the Peel Commission’s policy, and in the 1880s, a new doctrine categorised Indian society into martial and non-martial groups based on race and physical features.
Arvind Ganachari, in his book Indians in the First World War: The Missing Links, argues that despite their “favorable show as an armed force, low-caste units were gradually reduced in size and number between 1870 and 1914.” Only during wartime was the racial recruitment policy disregarded, and low classes and castes were recruited. This created opportunities for social mobility, but these opportunities faded with the return of peace.
We can see this pattern during World War II when the Chamar Regiment was raised and disbanded once the war ended. The issue of reinstating the Chamar Regiment was raised in Parliament in the form of special mention by former Union Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh in 2011. Again in 2017, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes raised the demand of reviving the Chamar Regiment, but nothing has come of it. The NCSC, a constitutional body, wrote a letter to the Ministry of Defence: “It is strange that all the other regiments, such as Sikh Regiment, Jat Regiment, Dogra Regiment etc, formed on the basis of caste/religion continue to exist while Chamar Regiment was disbanded.”
During World War I, the Mahars were allowed to join the Indian Army, and were given their own unit, the 111th Mahars, which was later disbanded, only to be recruited again during the Second World War. The Mazhabi Sikhs were also recruited heavily during the war but were retrenched until 1932, when their unit was disbanded. However, they were recruited again during World War 2.
Also read: Indian Army’s Mahar regiment: Home to two army chiefs and a Param Vir Chakra
System of exclusion
This is a longstanding issue for the formerly untouchables. At a meeting on 1 January 1927, at the Koregaon War Memorial, Dr BR Ambedkar (BAWS Vol-17, Part-3) said that many fighters from depressed classes had fought for the British during the Koregaon battle. However, they were later labeled as a non-military community. Dr Ambedkar stated that since caste Hindus treated them as untouchables, they had no other means of livelihood, which compelled them to join the British forces. He urged his people to pressure the government to remove the ban on their military career. Incidentally, Dr Ambedkar’s father and grandfather had been soldiers in the British Indian Army.
Again during World War 2, on 18 June 1941, Dr Ambedkar wrote a letter to British administrators, raising the issue of depressed classes not being recruited in the Indian Army. In 1943, speaking at Naigaum, he urged community members to take full advantage of the opportunities offered to them to join the Army, Navy, and Air Force. This reflects the urge of the depressed classes to join the armed forces.
The caste system has historically been used to deny Dalits access to education, employment, and basic human rights. The exclusion of Dalits reinforces the stigma and discrimination that Dalits face in all aspects of their lives.
The perceived exclusion of Dalits from the Army also has a psychological impact on the community. It sends a message that they are not good enough to serve their country. This reinforces the stigma and discrimination that Dalits face in all aspects of their lives.
As mentioned above, efforts have been made to include Dalits in the Army, but they have not been successful. While the Indian Army may have moved away from explicitly caste-based recruitment, retaining the names of historic regiments associated with specific communities can serve as a reminder of caste-based discrimination in the past and can send a message to soldiers and the wider public that caste identities are still relevant in modern society.
On the issue of caste certificates, the Army has said: “The requirement for aspirants to submit caste certificates and if required, religion certificates have always been there. There has not been any change to the Agniveer recruitment scheme in this regard.” This begs the question: what is the purpose of asking for caste certificate?
I would argue that the Indian Army should focus on building a truly diverse and inclusive military that values soldiers based on their skills and performance, rather than their caste or community background.
I am borrowing the words from the Writings and Speeches of Dr Ambedkar to conclude my argument: “The recruitment to the Army should be upon all Indians consistently with the considerations of efficiency and the possession of the necessary qualifications.”
Dilip Mandal is the former managing editor of India Today Hindi Magazine, and has authored books on media and sociology. He tweets @Profdilipmandal. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant)