Plight
of the Gurkhas and Movement Against Discrimination
Ramnarayan
Kandangwa (M.A. Political Science)
Plight and
Movement
The legend of
Gurkha bravery emanated from the 1814-16 Anglo-Nepali confrontation that soon percolated
into the higher echelons of the Honourable East India Company. Then it started to raise
Gurkha regiments through clandestine recruitment and tenaciously maintained this practice
until Bir Shumshere allowed to do so. In the last almost two centuries, untainted and
loyal service, the United Kingdom used the Gurkha force to the maximum for the attainment,
protection and strengthening of her world wide empire. During this horrible passage of
time, the gallant Gurkhas really endured much hardships and sufferings both mentally and
physically. In spite of that, Britain did not respect the contribution of even those who
became handicapped, lost their lives and disappeared. On the contrary, as soon as her
cause was served, she sent the Gurkhas back home empty handed. Be it in the First or
Second World War or be it after the suppression of revolts in Brunei or Malaya each time
she terminated the Gurkhas without pension and reasonable compensation under redundancy.
As a result, those thousands redundant in the remote hilly regions of Nepal have been
starving to death. They are compelled to work in the fields at the age of 70s even though
they are maimed or amputated by the blast of bombs or wound of bullets. Since the economic
condition is below the poverty line, their offspring are undernourished and illiterate.
The survivors of those who lost their likes in skirmishes live further worse
poverty-stricken life and have fallen victims to deculturisation as a result of being
neglected and jobless. Many family members of the Gurkhas who have disappeared in the
jungle of Malaya, Borneo and Africa have still been waiting for their fathers and
husbands. The manner in which the kingdom gives them retirement without pension or
reasonable compensation after having used the Gurkhas is particularly extremely unjust and
against the spirit of human rights. Even if pension is given, the state of affairs is
nonetheless unjust and discriminatory, especially the policy regarding the terms of
reference by which the kingdom has drawn a line of discrimination between the Gurkhas and
British counterparts on racial grounds is condemnable. There are further pitiable pain and
plight associated with the Gurkha romance. Although it was emphasized that only volunteers
were to be taken, there seems to have been considerable forced recruitments. Chandra
Shumshere even ordered those Gurkhas who were on leave in Nepal to go to join their
respective regiments and the one who disobeyed this order would be punished even to the
extent of death. Thus, death seemed impossible to escape for them whether they stayed in
Nepal or was to join their respective regiments.
When anthropologist
Mary Des Chene was researching Gurkha recruitment in Kota, a village in central Nepal, one
Gurung woman, born in 1898, recalled the First World War in the following words: "Now
it is different, but in my time everyone who left was lost. They walked out of our Gurung
country and got lost. My father, I never knew him. He was coming home, we heard, but then
he died, too. My elder brother, my younger brother, my father's sister's son, all died.
Many, many others too, so many". The above statement makes amply clear how the entire
villages of the-then Nepal were made almost youthless by the recruiters and contractors by
taking them to join British-India army. This even reduced the-then population and
negatively affected the socio-economic development of Nepal. With regards to the plight of
the Gurkhas which is all the more pitiable, emotional and terrible, according to Prem
Uprety, is like this: "The faces of many Gurkhas who had been wounded in World War
first were disfigured due to the loss of noses and eyeballs; in one case the forehead had
been damaged so badly that "both the eyeballs were protruding out like that of an
unearthly creature". General Babar Shumshere, after an inspection tour of the
wounded, wrote "how could life linger on in such desperate souls". Thus,
two-century old Gurkha romance is indeed heart-rending and frightening as well. In fact,
the entire romance is not only full of such incidents but also some of them are beyond
explanation and perception. In the First World War, the second battalion of the 8th
Gurkhas was mobilized in France where this battalion on 30 October 1914 alone lost more
than 600 men in an assault by the Germany. In this context one hospitalized Gurkha in
London wrote a letter to his friend to India. This letter runs thus; "it is not a war
but the divine wrath of God. In a few days several hundreds of thousands men have been
destroyed. The shells of the cannon have been flying about like rain in the rainy season
... . The men who survive and go back to India should consider it as a new life. Perhaps
the German will be beaten. They attacked in three lines. Two lives were blown away. When
the Brigade attacks, the Gurkhas and Sikhs go first and the white troops are put in the
second line. The piles of the killed on both sides were like heaps of slaughtered goats.
But no one asks about the dead. All the hospitals in England are full.
On the one hand the
loyal Gurkhas have rendered such unforgettable sacrifice towards attaining, protecting and
consolidating of her world wide empire and to the British sovereignty and people while, on
the other hand, British government treats the Gurkhas discriminatorily. In all matters
such as salary, pension, promotion, fooding, accommodation and other welfare facilities
they are paid and provided dramatically less as compared to their British counterparts. It
is only due to the race that Gurkhas have been subject to such serious discrimination,
injustice and oppression by the British government. Again, it is a violation of the
tripartite treaty of 1947. Because the annexure 3 of the treaty provides that in matters
of promotion, welfare and other facilities the Gurkha troops should be treated on the same
footing as the other units in the parent army so that the stigma of "mercenary
troops" may for all time be wiped out." This annex is one of the important
provisions of the treaty which must apply in relation to the Gurkhas in the British army.
Padma Shumshere, the-then Prime Minister of Nepal, particularly with much worry, had
emphasized on equal status with a view to wiping out the stigma of mercenary. Moreover,
the British government in principle accepts the Gurkhas as an integral part of the British
National Army. But in practice, it is other way round. In addition to this, the behaviour
of British government violates the fundamental objective of human rights. Hence, the
Gurkha Army Ex-servicemen's organization has launched a movement for the last almost a
decade to eradicate such discriminatory treatment. During the long course of movement, the
organization has not left any stone unturned. It even conducted two international
conferences in association with national and international professional organizations and
other concerning bodies to gain support and cooperation from every walk of life. Desirous
support and cooperation is received but still both the governments of Nepal and Britain
turned deaf ear to its demands. Therefore, as a final resort, a group of former British
army personnel with a panel of advocates led by Barister Cherie Booth (wife of British
Prime Minister) and solicitor Phil Shiner have filed on 24 cases of discrimination against
Gurkhas such as salary, pension, religion, women, etc., at the British High Court on May
8, 2002. In this regard especially the government of Nepal should be serious and take some
diplomatic initiatives for its early solution before it goes beyond control. It is a
national political problem related to sovereignty, national independence and integrity. In
the last two centuries of "Gurkha Romance", the British government has
unscrupulously contracted several battle fronts and mobilized Gurkhas in them for profit,
commission and royalties. It has used and sold them as commodities. To take an example, a
Gurkha battalion has been rented out to Brunei which accrues one and half million pound
commission to British treasury and the total expense of the battalion is incurred to
Brunei. In the communist revolts of Malaya, it paid each Gurkha soldier M$ 42 per month
whereas an equivalent English soldier was paid M$ 450 per month. But later, it claimed M$
450 for each Gurkha soldier from Malayan government. From the above fact, it becomes clear
that the British government has done good business of Gurkha soldiers, reaped one sided
benefit and merely meted out discrimination, injustice and oppression to Gurkhas and
Nepal.
Conclusion
During the Anglo-Nepal
war the British officers were greatly impressed by the gallantry, discipline and warfare
displayed by the finest hill infantrymen. Having realized its usefulness they unilaterally
and immediately raised Gurkha battalion of war captives. No any permission was taken from
the Darbar of Nepal. Hence, Court of Nepal always remained in opposition of the practice.
Even Jung Bahadur Rana, who is said to be a good friend of British, was not in favour of
the recruitment. Pressure in this regard was highly mounted from British resident as well
as from British authorities. Ultimately, Bir Shumshere allowed to do so and even issued
decrees by encouraging Gurkha youths in joining the British-India armed forces. Chandra
Shumshere, the most shrewd Rana Prime Minister and staunch supporter of the British,
encouraged the tradition of recruitment to maximum extent. Due to this, hundreds of
thousands of Nepali youths joined the British. India army who fought in a large number of
battle fronts with indomitable gallantry and loyalty from the British side. Thousands of
Gurkhas ultimately sacrificed their invaluable lives, thousands of others maimed and
disappeared solely for the sake of British empire and sovereignty. In those battle fronts,
the Gurkhas could secure the world's most famous and coveted 13 Victoria crosses. Apart
from this, the pain and plight they suffered in the last two centuries is another story
which cannot be described easily. But the British government has not respected such
gallant and loyal service. She rather sent back home empty handed under redundancy as soon
as her interests are served. Be it after the Second World War or be it after the
suppression of revolts in Malaya and Brunei, it is all the more painful and misleading
act. In fact Britain is unscrupulously using Gurkhas for profit, commission and royalty.
As far as the discriminating behaviour is concerned, it is so high that a white soldier of
the same rank and length of service receives ten fold more (before the 192% increment)
than a Gurkha soldier. This practice is prevalent in all other fields of facilities. In
such a serious national political issue the democratic government of Nepal including the
nine month old UML's government has remained a mute spectator. It sometimes gives lip
service and nothing else. Hence, an organization of retired Gurkha soldiers (GAESO),
having all other measures failed utterly, has sued cases against British government in the
British High Court. In this regard the government of Nepal and other concerning bodies
should play a crucial role in giving an easy vent to this long-standing national political
problem which is associated with national independence, sovereignty and dignity of the
country. |
