Navy dumps colonial practice, officers to stop carrying batons
The carrying of batons has been discontinued with immediate effect. From now onwards, the baton will find a place only in office
In the latest step towards shedding colonial practices, the Indian Navy has decided that its personnel will no longer carry ceremonial batons, officials aware of the matter said on Saturday.
Senior officers in command roles, commanding officers of warships, naval bases and other establishments, and provost personnel responsible for policing, vigilance and enforcement of discipline thus far carried batons.
The navy says the symbolism of power portrayed by holding such batons is a colonial legacy.
“With the passage of time, carrying of batons by naval personnel has gradually become a norm,” states a naval headquarters letter dated July 28. “The symbolism of power or authority portrayed through holding the baton is a colonial legacy that is out of place in a transformed navy of the Amrit Kaal,” it said.
Amrit Kaal refers to the 25 years leading to India’s independence centenary in 2047.
The carrying of batons has been discontinued with immediate effect. From now onwards, the baton will find a place only in offices.
“A ceremonial baton may be placed appropriately in the office of the head of the organisation of every unit. A ceremonial handing over of the baton may be undertaken within the office, as a part of Change of Command only,” the letter adds.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a naval ensign at the commissioning ceremony of aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, with the new flag drawing inspiration from the seal of Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj and the Cross of St George being dropped, a move that the PM described as getting rid of the burden of a colonial past.
The army is also reviewing its British-era customs and will discard some practices without diluting its rich legacy.
The call for doing away with colonial customs in the armed forces was made by the PM in March 2021 during the Combined Commanders’ Conference at Kevadia in Gujarat when he asked the three services to rid themselves of legacy systems and practices that are no longer relevant.
The PM’s remarks at the top conference were the first indication that colonial practices in the armed forces were on their way out. He had then underlined the importance of enhancing indigenisation in the national security system, not just in sourcing equipment and weapons but also in doctrines, procedures and customs.
In his Independence Day speech last year, Modi spoke of the “panch pran” or five pledges for India to become a developed country by its 100th year of independence --- one of those resolutions was to uproot all signs of colonial slavery from mindset and habits.
The defence ministry has also begun a drive to rename British-era cantonments as military stations.
The ministry has shared broad modalities for a proposed separation of civilian areas in 58 cantonments across the country, with the move aimed at bringing uniformity in municipal laws governing these areas and adjoining municipal pockets, the government told Rajya Sabha on July 24. The ministry has sought comments from the states on the matter.
Yol in Himachal Pradesh was the first cantonment to shed the colonial tag and be renamed as a military station in April 2023. This was the first step in the drive to merge civilian areas in cantonments, created during the British era, with municipal corporations and municipalities, and designate them as military stations.