Gurkhas

Subject – IR

Context – Gurkhas not to be tagged as foreigners.

Concept –

Impressed by their discipline and ferocity in Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814-16, the British decided to recruit Gurkha soldiers starting in 1815. Since then, the Gurkhas have fought on the side of the British Empire in almost every war, including both World Wars.
After the 1947 Tripartite Agreement, the British Army amalgamated the Gurkha regiment into combined Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR).
- 1947 Tripartite Agreement between India, Nepal and the United Kingdom deals with the military service of Gurkha soldiers from Nepal.
Currently, the Gurkhas comprise up to 3% of the British Army.
In 2015 they completed 200 years of service in British Army.
Queen Elizabeth II of Britain is guarded by two personal Gurkha officers.
The Gurkhas are recruited every year at the British Gurkha camp at Pokhara in Nepal. The camp enlists fresh recruits not only for the British Army, but also for the counter-terror arm of the Singapore Police Force.
Their signature weapon of Gurkhas, Khukri, forms part of the Gurkha regimental insignia in Britain as well as in India.

Ties with Indian Army

Currently, there roughly are 32,000 Gurkhas who make up the 40 battalions serving in the seven regiments in the Indian Army. There is not a single military campaign launched by independent India, where the battalions have not left their indelible mark.