November 22, 2001

   The Indian Army is not divided on the lines of Regional identity. However, prior to Independence there was emphasis on recruitment to the Army from certain classes which were commonly referred to as ‘Martial’ class, as the class composition was considered to be a powerful factor in fostering cohesiveness in battle amongst troops. After independence, the concept of class composition was discarded for Arms and Services, except to a limited extend for the Armoured Corps, the Artillery and Infantry. Recruitment to al Arms and Services except these three arms was thrown open to all Indian nationals irrespective of any consideration of caste, creed, class, region and religion. A conscious decision has been taken to retain some units as Single/Fixed/Mixed classes based on historical and traditional considerations, combat effectiveness, operational performance and experience. This has been done to establish the concept of "All India All Class’ units.