z:\ ambedkar\vol-02\vol2-08.indd MK SJ+YS 21-9-2013/YS-8-11-2013 593
IN SUB-COMMITTEE NO. VIII 593
the Indian Police Service” ?
Dr. Ambedkar: Yes.
Chairman: Does that apply to Mr. Zafrullah Khan ?
Mr. Zafrullah Khan: Yes.
Chairman: And to Sardar Sampuran Singh ?
Sardar Sampuran Singh: That is right.
Chairman: I am only purporting to record your views there, so I will put in the words “and for the Indian Police Service”.
Sixth Sitting—13th January 1931
*Dr. Ambedkar: I should like to have a new paragraph inserted after subparagraph (4) to this effect : “The Sub-Committee desires that a generous policy be adopted in the matter of the employment of the depressed classes in the Public Service, and it particularly recommends that the recruitment of the Police and Military, from which they are now excluded, should be thrown open to them.”.
Mr. Chintamani: Are they excluded by rule, or merely as a matter of practice ?
Dr. Ambedkar: By rule. The Police Service Commission expressly lays it down that the depressed classes are ineligible.
Mr. Chintamani: If there are rules excluding the depressed classes from employment in particular Departments, such as the Police or Military, they are not rules which hold good over the whole country. There may be such rules in some Provinces, but not in all.
Dr. Ambedkar: If it is desired I would have my proposal end as follows: “and in particular recommends that they (the depressed classes) should not be excluded from any Department of the Public Service hereafter by reason of their untouchability”.
Raja Narendra Nath: Surely clause (5)( a ) covers that.
Sir Cowasji Jehangir: The position is that this community has been excluded on account of the impracticability of employing them. It is no good going into details here and now. If we had a separate section of the Police for the depressed classes, there would still remain the difficulty of members of such classes doing the work of policemen amongst a population which resented it. How this great disadvantage is to be removed is not clear. I cannot express any opinion. What has been done has been done with the greatest reluctance, as I think Dr. Ambedkar will admit. But I see no objection in expressing what Dr. Ambedkar wishes us to do even though it be merely pious. I am afraid that we have expressed the same opinion on hundreds of occasions, and nothing has come out of it. Dr. Ambedkar knows very well what orders have been passed, and how they have proved to be impracticable. Nevertheless, I support the inclusion of such a para *Proceedings of Sub-Committee No. VIII (Services), pp. 231-33.