On July 19, 2022, an official handle of Congress Uttar Pradesh made a tweet about the requirement for a caste and religion certificate during the Agniveer recruitment and attempted to imply that the BJP administration was responsible for the move. They stated that the BJP had gone beyond the bounds of decency when they tweeted, “Do not ask the caste of the monk and soldier, His knowledge, his valour is his identity. Military protocol is flagrantly broken by Agneepath’s application’s need for a caste certificate. Shame on the one-and-a-half guy team.”
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The national spokesperson for the Aam Aadmi Party, Sanjay Singh, claimed in a tweet that caste certificates are being requested for the first time ever. He questioned PM Modi on whether or not he thought Dalits, people from backward backgrounds, and those from tribal groups qualified for army enlistment. He also accused PM Modi for turning Agniveer into Jaativeer.
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What we found in our research
After digging into the matter we came across many news articles and statement of the Defence Minister refuting the claim
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Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly dismissed the allegations as rumors and asserted that the there has been no change. The old system is still in existence. Agnipath scheme’s recruitment process adheres to protocol. The prior system, which had been in existence before independence, is still in force, Financial Express reported.
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After the outrage from the opposition parties, the Indian Army denied the allegations.
According to the TimesNow report on Tuesday, the Indian Army refuted claims from the Oppositions that caste and religion certificates are now being required for the military recruitment programme “Agnipath,” claiming that the requirement for applicants to submit caste certificates and, if necessary, religion certificates, was always present.
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Reporter Sushant Sinha of Times Now NavBharat also reported that this is old rule which is adhered by the Indian Army from a long back.
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Hence, the opposition parties assertions that the need for caste and religion certifications in Defence recruiting is a novel move are wholly untrue.
| Claim | Requirement for caste and religion certificates in Defence requirement is a novel move |
| Claimed by | Opposition |
| Fact Check | False |
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