Rashitriya Sawan Saveik (RSS) is pursuing the Hindutva ideology since long.Ironically, BJP government led by Prime Minister Narindra Modi became thecustodian and vanguard of RSS. Multi-prong efforts are being undertaken to give impetus to the Hindutva cause and to pulverize Muslims. Astonishingly, the atrocities of BJP government / RSS against andminorities especially Muslims is no more secret but hardly any authoritative body of UNO and Human Rights Watch raised concern against the Indian brutalities.
In pursuit to BJP / RSS ambition, on 14 June 2022, Government of India announced a new policy of recruitment in the armed forces called Agnipath, or “path of fire”. Apparently, BJP is drum beating that this scheme is to recruit young people and make them skilled manpower as well as reducing pension expenditure. But in fact is to fulfill the distant dream of Hindutva by importing military training to RSS activists.
Due to malicious goal of the thesaid scheme, decision of Agnipath sparked protests cross the country and the angry mob set many offices, trains and other in on fire. Hundreds of youths attacked railway infrastructure and blocked roads as the backlash continued for few days, after which the government squeezed some of the rules.
Government of India claimed that as the recruitment in the armed forces was ceased since 2019 owing to COVID-19, so the new recruitment scheme Agnipath has been introduced. It is a recruitment process launched by the central government wherein selected candidates will be enrolled as Agniveers for four years period in Indian Armed Forces (tri-services). The Armed Forces will be recruiting 46,000-50,000 Agniveers this year through Agnipath scheme.
On completion of the four-year period, 25% Agniveers will be absorbed in the national cadre of armed forces on permanent basis whereas 75% of the Agniveers will join the respective wings of the RSS in different states. This way BJP will be able to get placement of their moles in other sectors to pursue their ultimate objectives of Hindutva ideology.
Apparently, Agnipath Scheme is a step that is initiated for the recruitment of Agniveers to the Indian Army, Indian Navy and India Air Force. The entry through Agnipath Scheme 2022 would be done for a period of 4 years initially. During these 4 years, the recruits would be trained by the respective armed forces in the skills required.
Agnipath is a recruitment scheme for the Indian youth below the rank of officer. Majority of whom after four year (once they will be getting married and require financial sustainability) will be terminated. It will retard the quality induction in the armed forces and the 75% terminated lot will mostly be joining fanatic Hindu organization like RSS, thus lifetime damaging their careers and wasting their
precious life. It is highlighted that Agnipath scheme remained silent on proportion of recruitment of various minorities which will create ethnic, caste, and religious imbalance in the Indian military. Many such blunders were committed in the India for malicious policies like Sikhs have been overrepresented in Army. In the 1965 Indo-Pak War, 45% among senior officers (brigadier and above) were Sikhs but 1984 Operation Blue Star changed the ethos of Indian Army. There were more than 3000 Sikh deserters in about one dozen Indian units.” So, subsequently Agnipath scheme will also create fiasco in tested time.
The Commandant of the Sikh Regimental Centre in Ramgarh, Brig. S.C. Puri, and his two deputies, Col. Jagdev Singh and Col. H.S. Cheema, were then attacked, leading to killing of Brig. Puri. As a result of this mutiny, the induction of Sikhs in the Indian Army were curtailed. Sikhs still constitute 8% of total strength of the Indian Army, being 1.4% of the total population. But, Muslims, who comprise 15% of India’s population, are just 2% in the Army. There are no Muslim regiments so far in the Indian Army. Similarly, Dalits, Adivassies and Other Backward Classes (OBC) are having negligible representation in the Indian Army. Therefore, Agnipath scheme will further shrink them as a soldier in tri-services of Indian Armed Forces.
While discussing on the proportion of recruitment, in the recent past, out of the 2.87 lakh jawans inducted by Indian Army, 15% came from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttaranchal, despite their total number account for 5% of India’s population. Whereas Bihar, Bengal, and Gujarat provided just 14% of the recruitment, albeit their total number is 30% of India’s population.After enforcing the Agnipath Scheme, this imbalance of proportion will further expand. The annual intake into the Indian Army is about 65,000 soldiers per year. It has not been clarified weather Agnipath recruitment would be part of that scheme, if yes then from where other 19,000 soldiers will be recruited and under which scheme. Another critical issue will surface for importing the training to the Agniveers. There are two Artillery Centres in India with a maximum capacity of 4000 soldiers in each. The new scheme will double the number of trainees. Gunners normally go through six months of basic military training and six months as a Gunner vis-a-viz other arms Infantry, Armor and Engineers etc.
Agniveers would be deployed in field after six months of training. In such a time constraint environment, the training centres would yield a highly incompetent lot. Also, why would an Agniveer give his life when he has to retire after 4 years with no pension?
Moreover, these Agniveers will be thrown into a society “where over 45 crore Indians are in search of jobs. Besides, Muslims are in fact facing an impending genocide, their houses are destroyed, worship places damaged, names of historical places changed, loudspeakers removed from mosques, hijab issue and even reduction of fund for Islamic madrassas which was practiced since long. Therefore, ethnic clash will rise owing to unemployment, poverty and backing of Hindutva ideology. It is highlighted that in India, cows have more rights than Muslims, 97% of all cow-related violence in India came after Modi’s selection as Prime Minister.
People already knew that the RSS, which is the largest Neo Nazi group, have a strong belief that Muslims and other minorities are an ‘Internal threat’ to India. RSS has an armed dedicated militia of around 600,000. Now its militia will have well trained Agniveer soldiers to wreak havoc against the minorities. Intention of BJP for Agniveers became overt once Indian parliamentarian
Mahendra Singh Solanky (BJP) confided and clarified BJP’s stance that Agniveers to defend India against Adharmis. Unfortunately, nearly 38 out of 53 ministers in Modi’s government, almost 75%, hail from RSS, adding that the “Sangh Parivar has nefarious plans for Agniveers.” Lastly, It is being questioned that whether the Agnipath Scheme solves the predicaments of the Indian Armed Forces or is it a recipe for disaster? We’ll see that in the next few years it will be proved that Agnipath is an ugly path.
Though, Modi government has contemplated the Agniveers as the bodyguard of Hindutva ideology but it will prove otherwise in time to come.
Author: Syed Ali Haisum Bukhari is student of Defense and Strategic Studies at Quaid e Azam University Islamabad, a research fellow at Pakistan house, think tank and at Muslim Institute. For any feedback / comments and suggestions,
Email: alihaisum.2000@gmail.com
