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Chandigarh: A broad cross-section of Indian military veterans has expressed concern over what they describe as an “enduring and troubling” trend of serving officers – including those in senior ranks – publicly associating with godmen, spiritual leaders, and religious congregations linked to the majority community.

These veterans argue that what was once strictly a matter of private belief has, over the past decade, increasingly spilled over into the institutional domain, with potentially ‘corrosive’ consequences for the armed forces’ apolitical and secular character.

“When officers in uniform appear at religious events, it sends the wrong signal that the armed forces are endorsing particular religions and religious leaders,” said Major General (Dr) Yash Mor (retired), one of the few veterans willing to speak out openly by name, despite prevailing fear of possible official reprisals.

Over time, this can erode trust, weaken service cohesion, and compromise the perception of the military as an impartial institution, the two-star officer told The Wire. He also called upon the Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, and the service chiefs to take decisive action to halt the burgeoning trend of uniformed officers publicly aligning with controversial spiritual figures and participating in overtly religious events.

In his latest rebuke, posted on Facebook on February 17, the 63-year-old third-generation Indian Army infantry officer from Haryana railed against the participation of senior serving officers in the Maha Shivaratri celebrations, hosted two days earlier by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev at his Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore, describing it as a “dangerous precedent.”

During the event, widely publicised on social media, a trio of three-star uniformed officers from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force was presented with medallions and ostentatious Bhavya Bharat Bhushan (“Glorious Pride of the Nation”) scrolls by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, ostensibly in recognition of their respective services’ roles in last May’s Operation Sindoor.

Thereafter, the officers stood displaying their baubles under the approving gaze of Jaggi Vasudev, turning their uniforms into a backdrop for religious pageantry. In doing so, Gen Mor said, they diminished the uniform’s dignity, reducing a symbol of service and sacrifice to ceremonial embellishment at the feet of a spiritual figure rather than within a military or formal state setting.

“What kind of award is this? What is it valued at? Why are service personnel in uniform receiving it?” said a visibly agitated Gen Mor. He further declared that the services needed to immediately stop officers in uniform from attending such events, as the Indian military did not need any publicity or favours from such self-styled holy men. He also questioned whether the services would behave similarly if the event involved........

© The Wire