88 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
belonging to the non-martial races. The non-martial races are excluded from military service. Only the castes and communities which are included in the category of martial races are drawn upon for feeding the Army.
It is difficult to approve of these two principles. The reasons which underlie the principle of class composition it is said, “are to a certain extent political, as tending to prevent any such formidable coalition” against the British, as occurred in the Mutiny. I should-have thought that the old system of a mixed regiment was safer.’ But assuming that the principle is sound, why should it come in the way of the recruitment of the untouchables ? If, under the system of class composition, there can be regiments of Sikhs, Dogras, Gurkhas, Rajputs etc., why can there not be regiment of Untouchables ? Again, assuming that recruitment from martial races only is in sound principle, why should it affect adversely (to) the untouchables unless they are to be treated as belonging to the non-martial races ? And what justification is there for classing the untouchables who formed the backbone of the Indian Army and who were the mainstay of the Indian fighting forces for over 150 years as non-martial ? That the British Government does not deem the Untouchables as belonging to non-martial classes is proved by the fact, that in the Great War, when more men were necessary for the Army, this ban on the recruitment of the Untouchables in the Army was lifted and one full battalion was raised and was known as the 111 Mahars. Its efficiency has been testified by no less a person than that (. . . .)*. When the need was over and the Battalion was disbanded much to the chagrin and resentment of the Untouchables. Sir said:
(Quotation not given in the MS.—ed.)
With this testimony who can say that the Untouchables are a non-martial race ?
It is thus obvious that none of the two reasons supposed to be responsible for the exclusion of the Untouchables from the Army. What is then the real reason ? In my opinion, the real reason for the exclusion of Untouchables from the Army is their
- See also the opinion of General Wilcox in his “ With Indians in France” p. (page No. not mentioned in MS.)
- Left blank in MS.—ed.