This Is Why Modern India Needs To Discontinue The Abused #Sahayak System In The Indian Army – Indiatimes.com

The tragic death of soldier Roy Mathew, a Sahayak, whose video slamming the Sahayak system which exploits the soldiers has started a demand that this centuries-old Sahayak system should be abolished.

Reuters

Sahayaks or buddies, they often garrulously refer these soldiers as are the gun-wielding soldiers given to officers to assist them in performing their duties.

But first the British and later the Indians who served as senior and officers misappropriated the assistance, these soldiers are supposed to provide and many of them allegedly ended up being the domestic help of not only the officersbut also to their families.

It started in British Indian army where the highest post an Indian soldier could move up to was a Subedar. As all the officers were British and therefore they kept Indian soldiers to maintain their uniform, weapons, vehicles and other chores. With independence, British officers were replaced with Indians, but this tradition didnt die.

Reuters

Various revelations by these Sahayaks have unearthed that apart from the main duties that they are mandated to do, they do chores like boot polish, taking officers dog for a walk, taking officers wife and kids to market or wherever they wish to go. Some findings have also revealed that many of them have been tasked to do the laundry of not only the officer but his entire family.

According to written answer of Defence Ministry in response to the report of parliamentary standing committee on defence on the issue of Stress Management in Armed Forces, the ministry said that Sahayaks are authorised to Officers and Junior Commissioned Officers in the Army when serving with units or Headquarters functioning on War Establishment.

AFP

The scale of authorisation of Sahayak is the following:

One for every field officer and above

One for every two officers of the rank of captain and below

One for every Subedar major

One for every two Junior Commissioned Officers of the rank of Subedar and below.

The report was submitted as 31st report during the 14th Lok Sabha in 2008.

According to defence ministrys answer, following are the duties, a Sahayak is supposed to carry out while assisting the officer:

To provide personal protection and security.

To attend telephones, receive and deliver messages during operations, training and exercise and in peace.

To maintain weapons, uniforms and equipment of Officers/Junior Commissioned Officers in accordance with custom and usage in the Army.

To assist in digging trenches, erect bivouacs and shelters during war, training or exercise while the leaders are more busy in planning, coordination and execution of operations.

To be of assistance during patrols and independent missions.

To carry and operate radio sets, maps and other military equipment during operations, training cadres and outdoor exercises.

The Defence ministrys answer to the parliamentary standing committee says that apart from the Indian army, none of the other armed forces, neither the Navy nor the Indian Air Force have Sahayak system in place. But dont Navy and Air Force officers have peace postings. Of course, they do.

Based on the ordeals of many jawans working as Sahayaks, the committee took ministry to cleaners and questioned the usage of Sahayaks as domestic help by the officer and his family.

The Committee noted that the jawans are recruited for serving the nation and not to serve the family members of officers in household work which is demeaning and humiliating.

AFP

The chorus like polishing the boots, and doing laundry of officers entire family is humiliating for a soldier who came to army to serve the nation and not to serve the whims and fancies of officers and their families.

The committee also cited the several instances soldiers have been seen deployed at the residences of the officers. To this, the representative of the army had answered, Would have been attending the work at home due to reverence. He is not supposed to do it technically. He is not supposed to work in the house.

Based on these findings, the committee recommended the abolition of the sahayak system in the Army and also recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs take similar steps in para military and other organisations. The committee in its fourth report of the 15th Lok Sabha submitted the action taken report on its previous recommendations.

In reply to committees recommendation of abolition of the Sahayak system, the ministry of Defence gave it a cold shoulder and merely stated that the system should not be misused to employ sahayaks in menial house-hold work. But it refused to accept the recommendation of the committee.

Post the slew of controversies, Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat has recommended the government to abolish this age old system of Sahayaks aka buddies at least in the peace areas.

In field areas, sahayaks are still required because of the buddy-pair concept in the infantry. We proposed to the government to have buddies only in forward areas, Gen Rawat was quoted in Deccan Herald on January 15, the Army Day.

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This Is Why Modern India Needs To Discontinue The Abused #Sahayak System In The Indian Army - Indiatimes.com