Ethnic Group Recruitment in the Indian Army

The Contrasting Cases of Sikhs, Muslims, Gurkhas and Others

Bibliographic Data

ID2858112
AuthorsOmar Khalidi (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, corresponding author)
Year2001
Volume74
Issue4
Pages529
Publication date2001-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePacific Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0030-851X • E-ISSN: 1715-3379
PublisherJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3557805
OpenAlexW2327355029
LanguageEN
Citations received19

rT nhe Indian army is one of the largest in the world, with a history going back several hundred years. Several historical works about the army have been written, both by professional soldiers and academics. Some attention has been paid by military historians to the question of class or caste/ethnic/religious/regional group composition of the troops and officers of the army during the colonial period. What is lacking, however, is a systematic account of the ethnic group recruitment to the army since independence and the related questions of the following order: What, historically, is the pattern of recruitment in the Indian army? What changes and continuities with previous policies are discernible? What is the current recruitment policy? Does the composition of the military personnel mirror the religious and ethnic diversity of the Indian national population? If so, to what extent over time? If not, why not and to what extent? Does the military attempt to inculcate national values and perspectives in recruit training and professional military education? Do common military training, corporate life in a highly disciplined environment, isolation in cantonments, and shared experiences serve to reduce ethno-religious identification by building ethnic cross-pressures? Is there trans-community deployment of military personnel? Are promotion decisions based on perceived competence rather than on ethno-religious affiliation? Finally, what is the impact of the polarization of Indian society along the religious divisions of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, particularly during the last two decades? This paper attempts to answer these questions based on the conversations and writings of military officers, and the published accounts of defence ministers, politicians and informed journalists

Ancient history · Criminology · Ethnic group · Political science · Sociology · Demography · Gender Studies · History · Indian History and Philosophy · Law · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · South Asian Studies and Conflicts

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