Social media has seen a surge in posts claiming that the Indian Army disbanded a Muslim Regiment after the 1965 Indo-Pak war due to accusations of betrayal. These assertions suggest that the regiment existed until that year and was disbanded following allegations that Muslim soldiers sided with Pakistan during the conflict. However, a thorough investigation into these claims has found them to be unfounded.
The fact-checking team conducted a comprehensive review of the Indian Army’s official website, which details various regiments including the Madras Regiment, Rajput Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Bihar Regiment, Gorkha Rifles, and Naga Regiment. Importantly, there is no record of a Muslim Regiment on the site, establishing that no such unit ever existed.
To further clarify this issue, the team referenced commentary by retired Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain. In an article he authored, he highlighted that the narrative claiming the existence of a Muslim Regiment disbanded after the 1965 war is part of a larger propaganda campaign orchestrated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Hasnain stated, “The core of Pakistani propaganda is that till 1965 there used to be a Muslim regiment in the Indian Army… Therefore, not a single Muslim soldier fought in the 1971 war (another lie).”
The article continued to explain that following Indian independence, many Muslim officers and soldiers opted to join the Pakistani Army, leading to a significant decrease in their numbers within the Indian Army. Nevertheless, several units incorporate Muslim soldiers among their ranks, dispelling the notion that there was or is any form of discrimination based on religion.
Additionally, the fact-checking effort discovered corroborating information from an ‘Indian Express’ article, which addresses the tactics used by ISPR to disseminate anti-India propaganda through various social media platforms. The claim regarding a Muslim Regiment has been circulated multiple times before, consistently debunked through similar investigations.
To fortify the findings, the fact-check team consulted retired Army Colonel Vijay Acharya. He firmly rejected the assertion that a Muslim Regiment existed, characterizing it as part of a continuing propaganda initiative from the Pakistani Army’s ISPR. Colonel Acharya noted that the Indian Army is structured to be inclusive and devoid of any regiment strictly limited to one religion or ethnicity. He pointed out that regiments, such as the Sikh Regiment, may be named after a religion but do not restrict recruitment based solely on that identity.
Further, he elaborated that the British colonial military strategy involved creating identity-based regiments classified by ‘martial’ and ‘non-martial’ races, but this practice evolved post-independence, leading to a more diverse and representative membership in the Indian Army today. The current recruitment process emphasizes proportional representation based on state populations.
In conclusion, the claims asserting that Muslim soldiers did not fight against Pakistan during the 1965 war and that a Muslim Regiment existed but was disbanded after that war are false. The Indian Army has never had a Muslim Regiment, and the narrative of disbandment is unfounded and rooted in misinformation, perpetuated by external propagandistic efforts.
