Agniveers or mercenaries?

Imagine the ground realities when an underage Brahman — representing the Hindu Trimurti and hired on a caste-base system — is assigned security duties in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir! This Agniveer, recruited in the Indian Army for a four-year term under Agnipath scheme, can continue for another 15 years if he kills maximum Aatankvadis (terrorists) in the held valley. Wouldn't he perceive every person walking in the streets as an Aatankvadi? This is what the scene in the occupied region currently is!

Several former Indian Army officers, including those who retired as corp commanders, are criticising the BJP for 'converting Indian Army into a force of mercenaries' because the Agnipath scheme, aimed to reduce the age profile and pension bill of all three services, has objectionable and unprofessional recruiting process. Also, posting of Agniveers, the young recruits, in sensitive regions like Occupied Kashmir and seven sister states is not appropriate.

About a quarter of these Agniveers, hired for a short four-year term, have the likelihood of being retained for an additional 15 years. The recruitment age of Agniveers is 17.5 to 21 years, while the official adult age under Indian law is 18 years. Agniveers receive a financial package, including a lump sum payment. They are entitled to a significant severance package at the end of their service, but no pension.

According to available information, thousands of Agniveers have been posted in Occupied Kashmir, and almost 80 per cent of them are Brahmin Hindus. There is no dearth of retired military officers who are expressing concerns that the Indian Army is rapidly losing its reputation for interfaith and inter-caste harmony, as the recruitment process of Agniveers is based on shortcuts and caste-centric hiring. Moreover, they fear that if an Agniveer is relieved of the Indian Army after a four-year service, he would have no skills, except shooting and guerrilla warfare, to land himself a job elsewhere.

They also insist that a four-year tenure is too short for the recruits to learn and utilise combat skills, and for their seniors to judge whether they should be retained initially for the next five years. I have listened to three retired corps commanders sitting in one discussion having the same viewpoint: that a short-term service model could impact the overall effectiveness and professionalism of the armed forces as well as the morale of the soldiers, besides being dangerous for society in case of a military-skilled youth re-entering urban life while facing unemployment.

Agnipath scheme is the brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, in 2018, ordered the launch of military training in RSS schools. The first RSS Army School was established in 2019 to train children to become officers in the armed forces. Vidya Bharti, the education wing of the RSS, was assigned to provide military training in all schools, totaling 12,000 and catering to nearly 32 million students across India. It is claimed by many retired Indian Army officers that the priority in the recruitment of Agniveers goes to such RSS school certificate holders who complete matriculation from Vidya Bharti schools.

Modern armies are a byword for discipline, equality, gentlemanliness, inclusive mindset, leadership skills and a strong character carrying the traits adaptability, resilience and commitment to ethical conduct even under pressure.

Army represents collectiveness, and one wonders what kind of group sense and collectiveness will be there where an underage boy who is recruited just because he passed matriculation from Vidya Bharti School has to eat his meals on the same plate with a Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Dalit. Have you read the syllabus of Vidya Bharti schools which promote that Brahma represents the Hindu Trimurti and all others are inferiors, and Bharat must be cleansed of all impure humans, such as Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, etc?

The retired Indian Army officials who call 'Agniveers' the 'mercenaries of RSS' have reasons to fear that this "Modi-fication of Indian Army' will be disastrous. In fact, it has already started showing results, as Indian soldiers are butchering Kashmiris with their service knives after killing them by tagging them 'Aatankvadi'.