MAHARS HAVE...............MARTIAL PEOPLE 307
for labour corps and not for the combatant ranks. The labour corps is safer than the combatant ranks, but the Mahars wanted to join the combatant ranks.
One of the banalities of the British Government in India is this distinction between martial and non-martial classes. Nothing has been more disastrous. It is a pity that so great a catastrophe as the war was necessary to force the British Government to give up this senseless distinction. It is stated that Government have directed to raise a Mahar battalion. The credit must go to H. E. the Governor of Bombay. On my making it a grievance he took up the matter with the Central Government and brought it to a successful issue. I appeal to the Mahars to take advantage of this apportunity; both for their sake as well as the sake of the country and also appeal to the British Government to keep faith with the Mahars and not to disband them from the army after the war is over.
Bombay : ( Dr. ) B. R. Ambedkar ” [1]
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1 : The Times of India, dated 18th June 1941.