Placing Faith above Force

Secularism and syncretism have been the hallmarks of the Indian Army. When the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered Sikh Army officer Ranjit Singh Dayal to lead the Operation Star to flush out the terrorists holed up at the Golden Temple complex at Amritsar in 1984, he did not demur for a moment. He responded to the call of his duty and finished the tasks before the sunbreak, upholding the credo and discipline of the Army. His faith did not come in his way of performing the duty. He responded to the exigency situation in the glorious tradition of the defence forces.

A section of the Sikh community had then accused him of sacrilege, but the nation, across religious beliefs, applauded him for maintaining the glorious tradition of the Army. The same conduct was demanded of Lieutenant Samuel Kamalesan, though the situation was not exigent, it was a routine. But the question involved was the credo and discipline of the Indian Army; he was expected to enter the sanctorum of the Gurdwara of the Regiment he led to perform routine rituals. But, citing his faith in Christianity, he refused to enter the sanctum, leading to his dismissal and judicial upholding of it by the Delhi High Court and later the Supreme Court.

His advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued: “I cannot be forced to worship a deity. The Constitution permits that much freedom…. the first commandment (of my religion) says thou shall not worship another god.” But Chief Justice Surya Kant who headed the bench that dismissed his appeal against the Delhi High Court judgement, said: “Leaders have to lead by example. You are insulting your troops.” Justice Joymalya Bagchi, the other Judge on the Bench, added: “You cannot have your private understanding of what your religion permits. That too in uniform.” The Chief Justice further said: “You may be outstanding in 100 things, but …the Indian Army is known for its secular approach. When you cannot maintain discipline there… You have failed to respect the sentiments of your own soldiers.”

The Christian community, in general, holds the view that in a secular country, insistence on taking part in the religious ceremonies/rituals of another religion is an unwelcome move. It goes against the tenets of secularism and the freedom of religion given by the Constitution. Fr. Babu Joseph, former spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), said: “Whether or not a soldier should overplay his religious affiliation is a matter of debate, but to dismiss him solely on the basis of refusal to participate in religious rituals that do not align with his personal belief system appears to be an immodest attempt to apply the rule book.” He further said: “Indian defence forces have always remained secular to the core and no religious considerations have crept into their disciplined functioning of securing the safety of our country.”

The Army’s Third Cavalry regiment has three squadrons -- of Sikhs, Rajputs and Jats; Lt. Kamalesan was leading the Sikh Squadron. His affidavit stated that he never failed in his duty of leading the troop on their weekly religious parades. His sole objection was to entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple or gurdwara and performing the religious rituals. Mr. A. J. Philip, a senior journalist based in Delhi, is sharp in his criticism of the apex court’s verdict. He said: Samuel Kamalesan, being Christian, could not be expected to perform religious rituals of another faith.

His dismissal goes against the secular fabric of the Indian Army. It also violates his fundamental right to practice his faith without coercion. He raised a couple of pointed questions: Will a Hindu officer of the Army go inside a mosque and perform Namaz if he is leading a Squadron with a majority of Muslims? Will he go to a Church and recite a prayer if he is leading a Squadron with majority of Christians? If that is unthinkable, it would be unjustifiable to ask Lt. Kamalesan to go inside a temple or gurdwara and lead ceremonies that his soldiers perform. Roughly half the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) comprises Muslim troops. The Assam regiment that recruits from the North-East has nearly every Christian denomination in its ranks. If their officers, who are followers of another religion, are forced to go with the religious rituals and ceremonies of the soldiers, it could lead to much chaos and indiscipline.

Sanjay Hegde, a senior lawyer of the Supreme Court and a leading voice of civil rights, expressed similar sentiments in a social media post. He wrote: “If any atheist Indian army officer refused to participate in any religious ceremony, would the Indian Army throw him out? Is the Indian Army only for believers, and one kind of believers?” Fr. Suresh Varghese, former editor of Indian Currents, said: “The apex court’s ruling seems to side with institutional priorities over individuals’ right to practice their faith; it raises questions about the constitutional promise of religious freedom.

Kamalesan refused to enter the sanctum sanctorum of a gurdwara and perform the rituals because of his Christian beliefs. His dismissal has led many to wonder if the Army’s commitment to secularism is being interpreted too rigidly.”