Javed Bangash
“Saffronisation” is a term that refers to the use of Hindu religion and specifically Hinduism ideas, values, and symbols in the politics and culture of the nation, through education and politics. In recent years Saffronisation of India’s armed forces and intelligence services has spread across the country. It proselytized the political objectives of the BJP and gradually changed the nation’s security apparatus to adhere to a Hindu fundamentalist worldview since 2014 when the BJP replaced the Indian National Congress as the central government. The BJP, a confessedly Hindutva supremacist party, tweaked the security apparatus into one where the Hindu culture and history are preponderant. Recently, Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) R.K.S. Bhadauria, former Indian Air Chief, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of General Secretary Vinod Tawde and Union Minister, Anurag Thakur. BJP made sure that the Indian state security is a personification of its construed Brahmanical understanding of India, which is again rooted in its mythical history and culture.
The key characteristic of this process is the inclusion of Hindu religious symbols and ritualistic practices in the military. Hindu prayer rites and other in-service rituals have both featured extensively in the standing army’s use of these religious symbols. Establishment of Hindutva camps for service members, BJP-organized rallies and parades, uniformed military personnel, and other members of the armed forces have been spotted waving flags or banners with the saffron color, which is linked with Hindu nationalism. Moreover, it has been asserted that the BJP’s objectives have been served by intelligence collecting and analysis, including the targeting of political opponents and activists, and are closely connected to RSS members, which is a leading Hindu nationalist group in India and the ideological forerunner of the BJP. Hindu nationalist themes reportedly appeared in intelligence data and briefings, according to reports.
Interestingly, an Indian army was the founder and pioneer of Hindutva. In June 1909, a string of letters, titled ‘Hindu: A Dying Race’, written by Lt Col. U.N. Mukerji, an Indian Medical Service officer laid the foundation of Hindutva ideology. In 2018, CIA cables claimed Field Marshal Gen K M Cariappa, was attempted to assassinate by RSS but the facts and history have another turn as he was closely linked with VHP and RSS. A close relationship existed between Field Marshal Gen. K M Cariappa, who had a close affiliation with Vishwa Hindua Parishad and Hindu Mahasabha which resulted in his policy of decreasing Muslim soldiers’ percentage in Indian forces.
After independence, a large number of Muslim officers opted for India including high-ranking officers but, except for a few, they were never promoted to higher ranks later. From 30-36%, the Muslim composition of the Indian Army has decreased to 2%. Unfulfilling the prognosis of the Armed Forces Reconstitution committee, the 339 VCOs (Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers) and 215 Muslim commissioned officers chose India at partition. Then, Indian Army Chief General K.M. Cariappa, ironically quipped that “Muslim loyalty seems to be primarily to Pakistan”.
