From Mallareddy Palli to the Front Lines: The Legendary Valor of India's Muslim Troops
Indian Muslims serving in the armed forces during the conflict in 1965 were honoured with several of the nation's highest military honours for gallantry. In 1965, during the Battle of Poonch, predominantly Muslim soldiers from the Rajput Regiment were victorious over the Pakistani Army and were able to take control of the region. The Param Vir Chakra was presented to Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid as a token of gratitude for his brave acts during the Battle of Asal Uttar.
Air Commodore Idris Hasan Latif was promoted to the position of Chief of the Indian Air Force before he eventually retired after being awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal for his service in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation struggle.
In certain parts of India, such as certain villages, it is traditional for at least one son to enlist in the Indian Army. In the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, one of the villages where this phenomenon is observed is called Mallareddy Palli. In this region, the majority of the population identifies as Muslim. It is stated that the sons born in this village are brave and fearless and that they protect their country. Every boy of fighting age in this hamlet is conscripted and taken to the frontier to battle with the adversary. Every young man in this town gets up early and immediately gets to work in order to fulfil his lifelong ambition of joining the Indian Army.
Mallareddy Palli Village is home to numerous valiant troops who fought in the Indo-Pak Wars, Kargil War, and India-China War. The old here encourage the youth to serve their country by joining the military, and they support their efforts to continue this tradition.
There are 86 households that make their home in the village of Mallareddy Palli, and out of those homes, 130 young people have been assigned to guard the frontiers of the country. One of the most notable characteristics of this community is that its young people continue their service in the armed forces even after achieving higher levels of schooling.
There are no available official figures on the percentage of Muslims serving in the Indian armed forces. In the late 1990s, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had previously served as India's Minister of Defense, declared that barely 1% of the country's armed forces consisted of Muslims. The number that was once present is unrecognisable compared to this current one.
Due to the fact that Muslims served as a primary source of the uprising for Indian independence, the British colonial government viewed its Muslim members in the military services with a high level of distrust. Despite the distrust, the percentage of Muslims serving in the Indian Army reached approximately 30 per cent just as the sun was setting on the British Raj. According to the minister of state for the defence at the time, this number had dropped to two per cent in a mere six years after it had initially been recorded. Prime Minister Nehru expressed serious concern and actively pursued measures to increase Muslim participation in the military.
There are no available official figures on the percentage of Muslims serving in the Indian armed forces. In the late 1990s, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had previously served as India's Minister of Defense, declared that barely 1% of the country's armed forces consisted of Muslims. The number that was once present is unrecognisable compared to this current one.
In 2010, it came to light that Muslims accounted for 3% of those killed in the attack on the American military and 6% of the martyrs. The Indian Army said that in 2010, various actions resulted in the loss of 15 officers, 13 junior commissioned officers, and 159 men. Twelve of the soldiers who died in the line of duty were Muslims, which represents 6.41% of the total number of martyrs. Another fact worth noting is that ten of the twelve individuals served in the infantry unit of the Army.
The latest Agnipath scheme of the Indian government has raised protests from the majority of the ex-armed forces personnel and aspirants. The Agnipath scheme is a new initiative established by the Government of India on 14 June 2022 for the recruitment of non-commissioned officers into the three military services. The recruits will serve for four years, including six months of training followed by three and a half years of deployment. After retirement, individuals will be able to apply to remain in the armed services, and up to 25 per cent of those who apply will be selected for the permanent cadre. Personnel who retire after four years of service will not be entitled to a pension but will instead get a lump sum of about 11.71 lakhs.
In contrast to the majority, Muslim clerics encouraged the youth to participate in the programme. In June, the appeal was made from mosques in several regions of Uttar Pradesh before Friday prayers. The clergy also provided information about the programme, emphasising that applicants must have passed the Class 10 and Class 12 examinations.
The Indian Army is a secular organisation, and all officers and soldiers, regardless of religion, caste, creed, or gender, serve the nation with pride.
Girish Linganna
Aerospace & Defence Analyst
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Mumbai family deaths: FDA finds no watermelon vendor in area to check for affected stock
Mumbai (PTI): The Food and Drug Administration team probing the cause of death of four members of a family in south Mumbai's JJ Marg area have not been able to zero in on any watermelon vendor in the vicinity to check if the fruit had a role to play in the ill-fated incident, an official said on Thursday.
The Dokadia family, residents of Ghari Mohalla on Ismail Kurte Road, had hosted a get-together of relatives on the night of April 25. At around 1 am, hours after the guests had left, Abdullah Dokadia (40), his wife Nasreen (35), and daughters Ayesha (16) and Zaineb (13) ate pieces of a watermelon.
They suffered severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea in the early hours of April 26 and were rushed to a local hospital before being referred to the government-run J J Hospital where all four died during treatment.
"The FDA team visited the house of Dokadia and collected samples of chicken pulao and watermelon pieces. After two days, the leftover chicken pulao had developed fungus growth. The team also tried to locate watermelon vendors to check for any affected lots," he said.
But no vendors were found in the area for the past two days, preventing the FDA team from getting samples, the official added.
The FDA has requested the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to share the report on the food samples collected by them, he added.
A senior Mumbai police official said the force is waiting for FSL reports in the case, adding that questions on presence of sedatives etc in the fruit could be answered only then.
The statements of the kin of the deceased are being recorded to ascertain if it is a case of mass suicide, and it is being checked if the Dokadia family were in debt or distressed over some issue, the police official said.
