Two recent moves by the Indian Army have triggered concerns over whether the armed forces, known for their staunch adherence to the principles of secularism, are coming under the ideological sway of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist forces.
In the second week of December, a painting depicting the historic moment of the Pakistan Army’s surrender to India in the 1971 war was removed from the army chief’s lounge. That surrender on December 16, 1971, marked the liberation of East Pakistan, which then became Bangladesh.
The painting depicting the historic moment was replaced with a new painting set in the backdrop of the Pangong Tso, a lake along the China-India border. The painting features modern military assets along with the ancient historical figure Chanakya; the Indian epic Mahabharata’s depiction of the Hindu god, Krishna, guiding Arjuna’s chariot; and the Hindu mythological figure Garuda from the epic Ramayana.
Then on December 26, 2024, the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army unveiled a statue of the 17th-century Indian king “Chhatrapati” Shivaji on the bank of the Pangong Tso. Behind the statue flutters a saffron flag with an image of Shivaji imprinted on it. India’s ruling Hindu nationalists celebrate Shivaji’s coronation day as Hindu Samrajya Divas (Hindu Empire Day).
“The event celebrates the unwavering spirit of the Indian ruler, whose legacy remains a source of inspiration for generations,” said the Corps in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter. It described Shivaji, whose Maharashtra-centric kingdom ruled parts of western India, as a “towering symbol of valor, vision and unwavering justice.”
On the face of it, the two moves seem to symbolize India’s recognition of the changed reality that China, and not Pakistan, is India’s principal security concern. Both moves involve the Pangong Tso — the painting sets the lake as its backdrop and the other sees a statue installed at the lake. The strategically important Pangong Tso straddles the disputed China-India border in Ladakh. It is among the “friction points” that emerged between the two countries amid the tensions between their troops since May 2020.
However, both events are also linked to Hindu nationalist symbolism – Ramayana, Mahabharata, Chanakya, and Shivaji are all associated with Hindu nationalist iconography. Chanakya, who wrote the Arthashasthra, a treatise on statecraft, foreign policy, governance, economic policy and political strategy, has inspired Indian realists and foreign policy hardliners.
Criticizing the removal of the iconic painting depicting the 1971 victory over Pakistan from the army chief’s office, retired Lieutenant General H. S. Panag wrote in a December 12 social media post, “The photo/painting symbolizing India’s first major military victory in a 1,000 years and also first as a united nation, in 1971, has been removed by a hierarchy which believes that mythology, religion and distant fragmented feudal past will inspire future victories.”
When the removal of the iconic painting evoked outrage among army veterans, it was shifted to the Manekshaw Convention Centre, named after Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the Indian Army chief during the 1971 war. The army described the center as the “most befitting place” for the artwork.
According to a December 18 report in The Hindu, Brigadier Inder Mohan Singh (retired), president of the Indian Ex-Services League (IESL), wrote a “tersely worded letter” addressed to the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and all three service chiefs. Referring to Garuda and Lord Krishna’s chariot in the new painting in the letter, Singh asked, “Wonder why [one would] bring religion into the armed forces? Do we want to dismantle our edifice and remove our roots? What relevance does it have with regard to our armed forces today?”
The IESL is an influential organization of retired army staff. India’s defense minister is the patron-in-chief and the CDS and the chiefs of the three services are its patrons.
If Chanakya’s “philosophies were so sound, India would not have broken into so many regions, kingdoms, principalities, etc,” Singh observed. He also highlighted that India’s 1971 victory over Pakistan was the first instance in the post-World War II world where a country (Pakistan) surrendered to another (India).
In January, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi defended the move to replace the iconic 1971 painting. The new artwork was created in response to the current geopolitical realities, particularly the re-balancing of troops due to challenges posed by the northern front, news agency PTI reported General Dwivedi as saying. “If you see the golden history of India — it has three chapters. It has the British era, the Mughal era, and the era before that. If we wish to connect that and the Army’s vision, symbolism becomes important,” he told PTI.
Nevertheless, except for the presence of modern military machines, the painting is all about India’s pre-Muslim past, a period in which Hindu nationalists today seek Indian glory.
Regarding the Shivaji statue installation, retired Major General Birender Dhanoa pointed out in a social media post that the flag containing Shivaji’s image is flying above three flags in saffron, white, and green representing the three colors of the Indian flag. “In the armed forces, no flag ought to fly higher than the national flag or the regiment flag,” he wrote.
One of the biggest icons of India’s Hindu nationalists, Shivaji is celebrated for his wars against the Mughal empire’s Muslim rulers. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological-organizational parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), celebrates six festivals annually. Of them, five are Hindu religious or social events. The lone exception is Shivaji’s coronation day. In the words of the RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, “The coronation of Shivaji Maharaj was a clarion call to the whole Hindu Rashtra (nation).”
Meanwhile, the installation of Shivaji’s statue at Pangong Tso has irked the people of Ladakh. “There is no cultural or historical relevance for Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Ladakh. While we respect his legacy, imposing such cultural symbols here is misplaced,” political activist Sajjad Kargilli said. Instead, Ladakhis “would appreciate the installation of statues honoring local historical figures, like Khree Sultan Cho or Ali Sher Khan Anchen and Seenge Namgyal,” he said.