Former Gorkha soldiers and their supporters staged a protest in Nepal’s Pokhara, calling for the resumption of recruitment of Nepali youths into the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme. Nepali citizens have a long history of serving in the British Indian Army and, following India’s Independence, in the Indian Army. However, recruitment from Nepal has remained suspended since 2020. The demonstrations took place shortly before the scheduled Nepal visit of Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth.
The protest was held on Wednesday, August 12, according to Nepali news portal Ratopati.
Recruitment of Gorkha soldiers has traditionally been one of the key links between India and Nepal.
The demonstration was organised by the Indian Ex-Servicemen Gorkha Brigade Nepal Pokhara, Ratopati reported.
The group submitted a two-point memorandum to the federal government through the District Administration Office. It called for recruitment to be resumed immediately and for the renewal of ex-servicemen organisations that include the word “soldier” in their names.
Brigade chairman Colonel Krishna Bahadur Khatri said the recruitment of Nepali youths into the Indian Army had continued for more than two centuries following the Sugauli Treaty but was now at risk of losing its historical relevance after the introduction of the Agnipath scheme.
“The process of recruiting Nepali youths in India began after the Sugauli Treaty and has been ongoing for 207 years. However, after India started the Agnipath scheme, the Nepal government, citing various reasons, has deprived Nepali youths from being recruited into the Indian Army,” Khatri was quoted as saying by Ratopati.
NEPALI YOUTHS SEE INDIAN ARMY AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO GULF JOBS
Khatri said the suspension of recruitment had reduced employment opportunities for Nepali youths while also putting at risk a generations-old tradition of Gorkha military service.
He argued that the Agnipath scheme could provide young Nepalis with an alternative to difficult and poorly paid jobs overseas.
According to the memorandum submitted to the government, recruits could earn around 4.5 to 5 million Nepalese rupees during the four-year period along with various benefits.
The memorandum described military service as far preferable to travelling to Gulf countries, where workers often face temperatures of around 50 degrees Celsius while earning minimum wages.
The Indian government introduced the Agnipath scheme in 2022 as a new recruitment system for the armed forces.
Under the scheme, recruits, known as Agniveers, serve for four years, after which up to 25% of them can be retained for extended military service. The armed forces have reportedly sought a substantial increase in the percentage of Agniveers retained.
The introduction of Agnipath became a major obstacle to the recruitment of Nepali Gorkhas.
Recruitment had already been interrupted around 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. After Agnipath was introduced, Nepal did not permit the process to resume, citing concerns about how the new short-term service model would fit into the longstanding arrangements governing Gorkha recruitment.
INDIAN ARMY CHIEF TO VISIT NEPAL FOR FIVE DAYS FROM AUGUST 16
India and Nepal share longstanding military ties, with Gorkha soldiers from Nepal having served in the Indian Army for generations. Their recruitment has remained an important component of defence relations between the two countries.
The relationship is also expected to receive a ceremonial reaffirmation this month.
Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth is scheduled to visit Nepal for five days beginning August 16. During his visit, President Ramchandra Paudel is expected to confer on General Seth the honorary rank of “General of the Nepali Army”, continuing the reciprocal tradition between the two militaries.
General Seth is also expected to meet Prime Minister Balendra Shah, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Nepal Army Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet said that whenever a new army chief takes charge in either country, the two sides traditionally exchange high-level visits, during which both chiefs are awarded the honorary rank of General.
The Gorkha protesters have warned that they could organise further demonstrations if their demand for the resumption of recruitment into the Indian Army is not addressed.
NEPAL STOPPED GORKHA RECRUITMENT UNDER AGNIPATH
In 2022, Nepal asked India to temporarily halt the recruitment of Gorkhas into the Indian Army under the Agnipath scheme. The move came amid concerns about the short duration of service and uncertainty over the recruits’ future after completing their four-year tenure.
After India gained Independence in 1947, an agreement involving India, Britain and Nepal allowed both India and the UK to continue recruiting Gorkhas. Their service in the British Army dates back to 1815, when the East India Company began recruiting them following the Anglo-Nepalese War.
Arun Subedi, who was then foreign affairs adviser to former Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, said recruitment would be “withheld for the time being” as political parties in Nepal debated the future of Gorkha soldiers after retirement.
The Indian Army has maintained Gorkha regiments since 1947, when six Gorkha regiments of the British Indian Army were transferred to the newly independent Indian Army under a tripartite agreement involving India, Nepal and Britain.
Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said on August 3 that the decision now rests with Kathmandu on whether Nepal wants to send its citizens to serve in the Indian Army under the Agnipath system.
General Chauhan also stressed that there could not be separate recruitment systems for Nepali citizens and Indian nationals under the same scheme.
Both General Chauhan and his predecessor, the late General Bipin Rawat, began their military careers with the 11th Gorkha Rifles.
