The Indian Army plans to employ 10,000 civilians to be provided as sahayaks for officers and JCOs posted in peace areas.

Against the backdrop of controversies over using combat soldiers as buddies, the Indian Army is now planning to employ 10,000 civilians to be provided as sahayaks for officers and JCOs posted in peace areas for helping them in their official work.

The move being undertaken by the Army headquarters – in consultations with the defence ministry – will help in freeing an equal number of combat soldiers from performing tasks of sahayaks, which have been under the scanner after a few jawans made videos against the system and made them viral on social media.

“We are going to employ around 10,000 civilians who would be helping officers and JCOs in pace stations by performing the roles of sahayaks,” Army sources told MAIL TODAY. At the moment, the Army uses around 40,000 combat soldiers who perform sahayak duties in their respective units and regiments.

In the peace stations also, the civilians would be provided to officers from static formations such as the Army headquarters in New Delhi or the seven command headquarters in different locations in the country who don’t have to move out in field areas during their posting there, they said.

Units which are deployed in places like Delhi but are part of a fighting formation like the infantry battalions here would continue to use combat soldiers as sahayaks as they have to move into field areas for months during exercises in Rajasthan and Punjab at regular intervals, they said.

‘BUDDY SYSTEM IMPORTANT FOR ARMY’S FUNCTIONING IN TIMES OF WAR’

Soon after he took over, Army chief General Bipin Rawat had said the Army Headquarters had submitted a proposal to the government that “sahayaks” could be done away with in peace locations, but had said the buddy system is important for functioning of the Army in times of wars and for deployment of forces in field areas.

Buddy system is a colonial system where combat soldiers are used as orderlies or sahayaks to polish boots and maintain the uniform of the officers and junior commissioned officers.

However, there have been several complaints of misuse in the recent times. After controversies over misuse of sahayaks, Army formations have asked officers to ensure that dignity of jawans is maintained and they are not used for looking after pets and children of officers and washing private cars.

“Please refer to social media outburst by serving soldier and media statement issued by the Chief of Army Staff thereto. All formations and unit are requested to ensure that dignity of serving soldier be maintained and employment of buddies should be restricted to entitled duties only,” an instruction letter from a formation in Eastern Command had said.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 1

  The Army’s move will help in freeing an equal number of combat soldiers from performing tasks of sahayaks.
• 2

  They’ve been under the scanner after a few jawans made videos against the system and made them viral on social media.
• 3

  At the moment, the Army uses around 40,000 combat soldiers who perform sahayak duties.

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