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Colonial Empire did not grant India Independence. They “transferred power” The Indian Constitution was largely a codification of the British India Act of 1935.
“British Indian Army” were transfer to post independence army, It was not reformed.
1947, the total strength of the British Indian Army was amounted to 1648772 solders. Of these, only 32677 were British.
In WWII alone, 1.3 million Indian soldiers employed. About 72,000 Indian soldiers and 6000 sailors laid down their lives and 11 received the Victoria Cross.
Many Muslim soldiers left to Pakistan to create the army of Pakistan while the four Gurkha regiments present in the British army decided to remain in India.
January 1948, 3500 gurkhas had opted to remain in British service, and were shipped to Malaya to serve Malayan Emergency began.
British Indian Army consist of Gurkhas, Gharwalis, and Kumaonis, Mazhbi Sikhs, Mahars and Biharis. 1.3 million troops from the Punjab and Northern parts of India.
Least number of Gujaratis were in British Indian Army, the region mainly followed Gandhi, Sardar patel and Subhas Chandra Bose. Not to serve the British was much propagated agenda. Serving Brits was anti patriotic. Dandi march, Quit Indian movement or Swadesi movement had countless followers in the region compared to other parts of the country.
"After independence, army took the stand that regiments will not be named after any caste, community or any such other identity. There have been many demands from several quarters, But the army has been very firm on this and rightly.
"Single class" regiments like the Sikh, Gorkha, Dogra and Garhwal were raised by the British prior to 1947. Since then, the Army has gone in for "fixed", "mixed" and "all-class" regiments.
In post independence Gujarat, very less family had military background. Hence awareness of military career was least known.
Even after 60 years selection rates of Gujaratis in army increase from 0.98% to 2.5% only ! In 2015, 29150 boys who appeared, only 722 were selected by the Army (2.48%) Sikhs make up10-15% of army, 20% of its officers. The legacy is running from British Indian Army.
Subhash Chandra Bose formed Indian National Army (INA) from Indian POW of about 70,000. Indian POWs from British forces in Singapore, Malaya and Hong Kong. INA, had force of about 50,000 fauji. The first encounter happened between British-Indian soldiers and INA troops. As the military were merely career option, accounting patriotism by amount of solders in army of the region had been solely delusive. Infact evaluating Military services by caste or region is political poison.
For 339 years not more than 30,000 British soldier ever lived in India,
300 million populations enslaved by buttress of 2.5 million Indian soldiers of British INDIAN army.
Field marshal Sam Manekshaw got 3 bullets in WWII fighting from British Indian Army, survived and lived for 105 years. While Subhash Chandra Bose martyred at the age of 48 fighting against British Indian Army.
Every year largest no of Gujarati prisoners are suffering in Pakistani jails, they never get media attention or candle-march parade like Sarbajit or Jadhav.