Demand For Ahir Regiment In The Indian Army Brings Delhi Traffic To A Halt

Members from the Ahir community have been sitting on an indefinite protest on the Kherki Daula toll plaza since February 4. They are demanding a separate regiment in the Indian Army for the Ahir community. At least 400 protestors had taken out a rally to protest in February, thus causing significant traffic congestion. The protestors had called out for yet another rally on March 23, in which they expected notable politicians from BJP, Congress and INLD to join. Therefore, the Gurgaon traffic police had issued an advisory stating that traffic was likely to be disrupted on the Delhi-Gurgaon highway on Wednesday.

Held Nine-Day Long Hunger Strike In 2018

The 'Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha' leaders from southern Haryana. The organization, registered in March 2021, had previously held a nine-day hunger strike before ending it with several assurances from the politicians. However, the group says that the ongoing protests would further be intensified if their demands were not met. The protestors contend that the Indian Army had several caste-based regiments. Since Ahirs had a significant representation in the Army, they wanted a separate regiment for Ahirs along similar lines, The Indian Express reported.

Community-Based Regiments In The Army

Manoj Yadav, the founder-member of the morcha, said that the demand was a fight for the community's right and honour. He said that the demand was for all the Yadavs in the country, who have laid down their lives for the country on several occasions. Further backing his argument, he added that in the 1962 battle of Rezang La, 114 out of the total 120 casualties belonged to the Ahir community. He said, "The recruitment to President's Bodyguard (PBG) is open only for Rajputs, Jats and Sikh regiments. Just like there is a separate caste-based regiment for Sikhs, Gorkhas, Jaats, Garhwal, Rajputs, we demand the formation of an Ahir regiment in the Army". The demand for a separate regiment has been put forth on several instances by the community in the Ahirwal region, which comprises Gurgaon, Rewari and Mahendragarh belt.

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