Events of the
day in History
On 25th August 1917
the first concrete step towards the Indianisation of the Army was initiated
(AZADI KE PANKH CREATIONS )
25th Aug. 1917
On 25th August 1917 the first concrete step
towards the Indianisation of the Army was initiated when seven selected
Indians, serving the Army, were granted King's Commission in the Infantry and
the Cavalry. Before the World War ended, two more Indians, who previously held
temporary commissions, were granted King's Commission.
The British Indian Army (also known as the
Indian Army) was the main army of the British in India before 1947. This army
was responsible for the defense of the British India and the Princely states
(many of which had their own armies).
The term “Indianisation” meant the process
of introducing Indians into the Commissioned ranks of the defence forces in
India. The First World War saw the brave contribution of Indian troops who
eventually looked forward to be treated equally like their British colleagues.
Gradually, steps were taken towards that direction in the Army. Through the
replacement of British officers with Indians remained a matter of dispute.
Edwin Montagu, a British liberal politician
and Secretary of State for India from 1917 to 1922 believed that it was not
merely enough to observe principles, but it was important to act upon them as
well. Montagu appreciated the services of the Indian members of the army at war
and thought it was important that a number of commissions be given. He was
against any kind of discrimination, neither in the army, nor in the Civil
Service.
On the other hand there was Lord Frederick
Roberts, a British soldier and one of the most successful commanders of the
19th century, who while acknowledging the courage of the Indian soldiers at
war, was convinced that they did not have what it took to create future
leaders. Another influential person against the Indianisation of the Army was
Claude Auchinleck, a British Army Commander during World War II and who
eventually became the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in 1941.
It was in 1918, following the
Montagu-Chelmsford report which laid down the foundation of self governance in
India that the task of transferring the complete nationality of the Indian Army
officer corps from British to Indian began; though self-governance was only a
principle until World War II.
The Montagu-Chelmsford report was a reward
to the Indians for their trustworthy service during World War I. In 1921, Lord
Rawlinson, a British World War I General observed that it would not be possible
to vision a self-governing India without an Indianised army. Reason being that
it would not be practical for India to be a self-governing nation with its army
largely in the hands of the British. But as opposed to establishing a
principle, the execution of it is another thing altogether.
Three years after the Montagu-Chelmsford
Report, nothing much had been done towards Indianisation of the army. Merely
ten places each year were given to Indians at the Royal Military College in
Sandhurst. It was in 1921 when the India Legislative Assembly demanded a future
policy that the Military Recruitment Committee was established, with Lord
Rawling as Chairman, who would establish a policy to set up for final
Indianisation.
It was after World War I that the process of
Indianisation began. Lord Rawling believed that Indians soldiers needed to be
given a fair opportunity to prove that they were effective as officers in the
army in every way. Indian soldiers were promoted to higher ranks and Indian
cadets were sent to the Royal Military Academy in England. Later, these newly
trained officers were given full commission as a King’s Commissioned Indian
Officers. These officers were equal in every way to the British and enjoyed
complete authority over British troops.
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