10,000 soldiers took pre-mature retirement last year

In a reflection of the disenchantment of the soldiers with the archaic traditions of the Indian Army and the equation with the officers, more than 10,000 soldiers took pre-mature retirement from the force, showing an upward trend from the previous years.

 

With two major incidents of scuffles and stand offs being reported this year in the Army so far, the defence establishment is undertaking the scrutiny of prevalent systems of ‘Sahayaks’ (called Batman in army parlance) as well. ‘Sahayaks’ are actually combatant soldiers authorized to officers in the Army as per entitlement for doing personal work.

 Legendary Sam Manekshaw with a soldier during 1971 War

Informing the Parliament about the issue, Defence Minister AK Antony said that in year 2011 10,315 soldiers opted for premature retirement, while the corresponding figure for the year 2010 and 2009 was 7,249 and 7,499 respectively. The Jawans of the Army, better educated now than in the past, retire around a productive age of 35 years to look out for greener pasture outside, instead of opting for continuing in the force.

Antony accepted that there were two cases of scuffles or stand offs between the officers and jawans – one in Ladakh and another one in Sambha sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The Defence Ministry and the Army had taken serious note of the incidents of scuffle that reflected the growing discord between the officer and jawans in a hierarchical system adapted from the British Army and not reflecting the aspirations of a changed India.

The Defence Minister said that the Government has taken a number of steps to keep up the morale of the jawans like “liberalized leave policy, establishing grievance redressal mechanisms, provision for recreational facilities, improvement in quality of food and clothing, deployment of psychological counselors etc.”

Feeling the change in the educational profile and aspirations of the soldiers joining the force, the Indian Army in April had recommended the abolishing of the colonial-era system of ‘Sahayaks’ and recommended recruitment of civilians for the job. In the present system these combatant soldiers have to do all kind of chores from polishing the shoes, to maintaining the uniform of the officer, taking children to school, doing the gardening and assisting the spouse in running the household during their deputation with the officer.

The proposal has evoked a positive response from the Defence Ministry but a definitive nod for the discontinuing of the system is yet to come as the South Block is reviewing the extra financial burden the recruitment of civilians will incur. The British Army has in fact done away with the practice of ‘Sahayaks’. The Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy do not have a system of ‘Sahayaks’.

 

The Army officers defend the system and contend that the soldier is a “buddy” who fights closely with the officer during a war and not a personal assistant.