Veterans in Letter to President Denounce False Social Media Posts on ‘Muslim Regiment’

NEW DELHI: Over one hundred veterans of the Indian Armed Forces have written a letter to the President of India, drawing attention to and denouncing social media posts that claim that a ‘Muslim Regiment’ of the Indian Army refused to fight against Pakistan in India’s 1965 war with Pakistan, and was therefore disbanded. The letter states that the rumour is not only ourightly false, but also “being spread by forces inimical to our country and our Armed Forces, which will adversely affect morale and national security.”

“These ‘Muslim Regiment’ posts are blatantly false, because the Indian Army did not have a Muslim Regiment in 1965 or since. Some senior-ranking Veterans have unequivocally pointed out the false nature of these posts,” the letter states, adding, “We further wish to point out that Muslims fighting as part of multi-class regiments proved their absolute commitment to the cause of our nation.”

“The ‘Muslim Regiment’ posts are an attack on India’s Armed Forces. Remaining a-political and secular has been an article of faith for every soldier, sailor and airman, both at the institutional and individual levels. Every soldier swears to protect the Constitution of India even at peril to his/her life in the service of our nation, and serves in harsh and high-risk field service conditions. He/she also endorses the principle of civil control over India’s Armed Forces, which have loyally upheld Constitutional democratic principles” the veterans write.

They continue: “Today, our soldiers are facing the Chinese aggression in Aksai Chin and also elsewhere, while the threat from Pakistan remains, and our troops additionally remain deployed for internal security duties. While in any situation, the ‘Muslim Regiment’ posts would be condemnable, in the current situation on our borders it is especially so, calling for serious attention of Government and expeditious action to counter Pakistan’s propaganda.

Read the full letter below:

To:
The President of India, Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces
Cc:
Vice-President of India / Speaker of Rajya Sabha
Prime Minister of India
Chief Justice of India
Speaker of Lok Sabha
Union Minister of Defence
Union Minister for Home Affairs
Chief of Defence Staff
Chief of the Army Staff
Chief of the Naval Staff
Chief of the Air Staff

Subject: FALSE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS on ‘MUSLIM REGIMENT’

Sir,

We, the signatories, are all Veterans of the Indian Armed Forces, who have served in the defence of our nation in various ranks and appointments in peacetime and in operational/war zones, over the past several decades. We do not represent any group or political party, and each of us only has the best interest of our country and our Armed Forces at heart in making this Statement.

We therefore request that our respectful comments, requests and urgings in the following paragraphs be taken in that spirit alone.

We wish to draw your attention to the outright falsehoods being spread by forces inimical to our country and our Armed Forces, which will adversely affect morale and national security. We specifically refer to a number of social media posts to the effect that a ‘Muslim Regiment’ of the Indian Army refused to fight against Pakistan in India’s 1965 war with Pakistan, and was therefore disbanded. When we refer to ‘soldiers’, we mean All Ranks of India’s Army, Navy and Air Force.

These falsehoods began in 2013, when @120croreHindus - ‘World Hindus United’ posted the following on Twitter on 19 May 2013 at 9:57AM: “In 1965 there was a regiment in Indian Army called Muslim regiment which refused to fight against Pakistan after which it was dismantled."

[https://mobile.twitter.com/120crorehindus/status/335975010877464576?lang=en]

The tweet was meant to show that Muslim soldiers had their loyalties to Pakistan rather than India. The ‘Muslim Regiment’ post has been re-tweeted many times thereafter, and its insidious surfacing during the on-going Chinese aggression, is certainly suspect.

The hundreds of such tweets cannot be included in this letter, so examples mentioning social-media identity, date-time and social media channel are provided below, beginning with the most recent:

(1) @Shwaami1 Swami Bijay Puri Maharaj on 20Sep2020;6.36AM on Twitter

मुस्लिम रेजिमेंट जिसने भारत पाक युद्ध के समय लडने से मना कर दिया था..
क्या आपको लगता है ये IAS और IPS बनकर देश सेवा कर सकते हैं ?

Muslim regiment which refused to fight during Indo-Pak war .. Do you think they can serve the country by becoming IAS and IPS?

सुप्रभात ॥ ॐ शिव ॥

— श्वामी बिजय पुरी महराज 1966 @Gmeil.com (@Shwaami1) September 20, 2020

,

(2) @gurjar436 vinod.gurjar on 18Sep2020;1:19PM on Twitter

"मुस्लिम रेजिमेंट" जिसने भारत पाक युद्ध के समय भारत की ओर से लडने से मना कर दिया था.. कहा था ...कि मुसलमान हमारे भाई है
फिर भी क्या आपको लगता है ये जिहादी IAS और IPS बनकर देश सेवा कर सकते हैं ?
इनके लिये संविधान से बढकर कुरान है।

— vinod.gurjar (@gurjar436) September 18, 2020

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(3) @ComondoDhruv SuperCommondoDhruv on 16Sep2020;9:55AM on Twitter

Being a true patriot I am not agree with this
If in battle for country my any loving person put down his weapon and tell I don't fire because there is my brothers in enemy army I will shoot him on the spot .
Learn from history Muslim regiment dropped their weapon against pakistan https://t.co/D2NubkhxHx

— Super Commondo Dhruv (@ComondoDhruv) September 16, 2020

(4) @Alostinsane Abhishek Shukla on 16Sep2020 on BBC News at 0.10-min

Full View

(5) @Thekhushbo Khushboo Mishra 16Sep2020;1:39PM on Twitter

मुस्लिम रेजिमेंट जिसने भारत पाक युद्ध के समय लड़ने से मना कर दिया था क्या आपको लगता है ये IAS और IPS बनकर देश सेवा कर सकते हैं ??

— Dr. khushboo Mishra (@Thekhushbo) September 16, 2020

(7) @DK_Dube on 15Sep2020;11:29AM on Twitter

मुस्लिम रेजिमेंट जिसने भारत पाक युद्ध के समय लडने से मना कर दिया था..
क्या आपको लगता है ये IAS और IPS बनकर देश सेवा कर सकते हैं ??

— डी के दुबे (@DK_Dube) September 15, 2020

(8) RK Dessai on 03Apr2020;09:04h on Facebook

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(9) Ashish Bisht on 03Feb2020;14:43h on Facebook

(10) Yash Raghav on 21Dec2019;18:19h on Facebook

(11) @rambagree1970 Arnath Hiranyavarn on 16Oct2019;1:41PM on Twitter

Muslim regiment was dissolved after Muslim soldiers refused to fight Pakistan's soldiers during 1965 war .
These types of facts of history should be taught in schools.

— अर्णात हिरण्यवर्ण (@rambagree1970) October 16, 2019

(12) Bharamal Gadhavi on 31Aug2019;15:06h with Youtube on Facebook

(13) Sanjay Bidani on 26Mar2019;20:43h on Facebook

(14) Manjunath Khot on 26Apr2018;03:46h on Facebook

(15) Kamesh @kamesh_gadia on 01Feb2018;9:29PM on Twitter

Do you at all know that a full regiment of Muslim soldiers refused to fight Pakistan in 1965 or 72 war ?? That's why henceforth the regiment was dismantled.
But however, hvg said so...I don't raise doubt on the intention of all Muslims living in India.
Nation shd come first !!

— Kamesh ✨