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.