Sahayak system

Why in news?

Videos surfaced on social media over the past couple of weeks where army personnel’s accused some officers treating their subordinates as “slaves”.

What is the Sahayak system in the Indian Army?

• Officers of the colonial period needed help when they are in battle.
• To help them they were supposed to have a retinue of servants.
• Thus evolved the concept of ‘batman’, short for ‘Battle Man’, wherein a young soldier helped out an officer with some of his mundane activities.
• An official list from the late 19th century mentions 39 such servants.
• The practice has since been codified via an Army Order and other policy letters into the Sahayak system.
• No official figure is available, but an estimated 50,000 Sahayaks serve in the Army.

Are soldiers recruited specifically to be Sahayaks?

• No. Unlike a chef or a hairdresser or a housekeeper, there is no trade called Sahayak in the Army.
• The usual practice in units is to employ a young soldier, and rotate the soldiers doing the duty of a Sahayak.
• It is supposed to be a voluntary job.
• If any soldier expresses a desire to not be a Sahayak, he is supposed to be excused.

Can Sahayaks be forced to do menial jobs by officers?

•  The Army said sahayaks are not technically supposed to work in the house.
• This was reiterated at length by the Army Chief himself.
• But several instances have come to light in the media where soldiers have been seen to be deployed at officers’ homes.
•  They have been seen washing private cars and walking officers’ dogs.
•  There are frequent allegations about the abuse of the practice, but no concrete proof or data.
• The Army insists that a Sahayak “is more like a buddy to the officer.

How has the Army typically reacted?

• The Army has responded by reiterating orders and guidelines on the use of Sahayaks, and by asking officers to ensure that a soldier is not employed on unauthorised duty.
• It has also proposed the hiring of non-combatants for permanent deployment at major peace stations to perform these duties.
•  This proposal, first made in 2012, has been revived recently, and is expected to free more than 25,000 soldiers employed as Sahayaks.

Source: Indian Express