This is Part 2 of a two-part article. Part 1 appeared in yesterday's Opinion page.
The military in India is apolitical and professional, and civilian control is firmly established. India inherited from the British a large defense force, the pattern of military organization, the tenets of military doctrine and the convention of subordination of the military to the civilian authorities. Even the Indianized element of the British Indian Army was so politically apathetic that it was not infected by the nationalist virus. Constitutional inhibitions and bureaucratic structures constrict the role of the military to the defense-security sector. The military establishment retains control of command and operational matters. Military policymaking is firmly in the hands of the civilian Ministry of Defense and Cabinet.
Yet even the Indian Army could one day step in because of increasing frustrations over the career paths of officers. The uniformed officers' disgruntlement is increased when the army is called in to assist civil authorities, and senior officers end up in a subordinate relationship with civilian officers who are their juniors in age and experience.