New Delhi: Dozens of ex-servicemen have protesteted against the Prime Minister's move to have a headcount of Muslims in the Indian armed forces, calling it communalisation of the Indian armed forces.
The protests began after media reports said that the Prime Minister's Office has sought a head count of the Muslims in the armed forces.
All the three wings of the armed forces have been asked to provide data on the number of Muslims in their ranks.
Angry protesters said the government was trying to weaken the armed forces by challenging its integrity.
"Through this demonstration, we want to raise our voice against the politicians who are trying to sabotage the armed forces by their vote-bank politics. Such decisions would peril our national security," says Maj Gen Anand Gupta.
But Union Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has dismissed speculation that the government is contemplating a caste-specific survey of the armed forces.
"There is no scope of controversy, because the character of Indian armed forces is not going to be changed. There is no basis of recruitment on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex or region," he claims.
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