The indian army that emerged from partition was very different from the one that had existed at the beginning of 1947 first it was now a trulyindianarmy the british regiments had all left by the beginning of 1948 and only a few hundred british officers remained behind by mid 1948 to help with the transition most of them in training and . Army and nation the military and indian democracy since independence steven wilkinson at indian independence in 1947 the countrys founders worried that the army india inherited conservative and dominated by officers and troops drawn disproportionately from a few martial groups posed a real threat to democracy they also saw the structure of . At indian independence in 1947 the countrys founders worried that the army india inherited conservative and dominated by officers and troops drawn disproportionately from a few martial groups posed a real threat to democracy. In six thematic and chronologically organized chapters army and nation the military and indian democracy since independence traces the relationship of the indian army and nation through the course of the long twentieth century following along the well trodden tracks made by stephen p cohen ayesha jalal daniel p marston and donald horowitz steven i wilkinson examines reforms in the military by contextualizing them within the broader ambit of civilian politics