News Desk
NEW DEHLI: India’s top military officer is facing backlash at home after attending a Hindu religious leader’s ashram while dressed in full military uniform — a move critics say blurs the line between faith and the secular image of the armed forces. General Upendra Dwivedi, the Indian Army Chief, recently visited the ashram of Hindu spiritual figure Jagadguru Ram Bhadracarya in Madhya Pradesh.
During the visit, the religious leader openly urged General Dwivedi to “bring back Pakistan-administered Kashmir,” a remark that sparked further political unease. The general’s public appearance in uniform at a religious venue has raised serious concerns about the growing influence of Hindu nationalism, or Hindutva, within India’s military ranks.
Prominent defence analyst Sushant Singh was among those voicing alarm, saying such actions damage the traditional image of India’s army as apolitical and secular. “When a military chief visits a specific religious figure in uniform, it undermines the very idea of India’s neutral armed forces,” he said. He warned that this could worsen civil-military relations and further align the military with the ruling BJP’s Hindutva narrative.
“This not only weakens the army’s impartiality but also deepens the sense of alienation among minorities and reinforces the idea of majoritarian dominance within institutions,” Singh added. The controversy comes amid growing concerns over the politicisation of the Indian military and its increasingly visible association with the ideology of the ruling establishment.
