In 1930-1 The British Government also demanded from the
Anglo-Indian and domiciled European community
. . . compulsory enlistment in a purely
voluntary force - the Indian Defence Force -
as a condition precedent to employment on
railways, and that such demand was not made on
any other employee. (19)
The 1935 Act secured employment for the community, and
compulsory enlistment in a voluntary force was linked with
jobs in the Indian Railways. By 1938, most Anglo-Indians
served in the Indian Defence Force. The Indians who were
employed in the Indian Railways were not enlisted in the
Auxiliary Force.
This meant that employment was linked with defending the
country. An Anglo-Indian who worked on the Indian Railways
had to wear the uniform and carry a rifle as a member of
the Auxiliary Force, which was the second line of defence
to the British Army in India.
If riots broke out in towns, where no military
are stationed, the Auxiliary Force is called
out and often has to fire on and kill the
rioters. This naturally tends to cause hatred
on the part of the Indian towards the Anglo-
Indians. (20)
The education of Anglo-Indians was linked with their
reserved jobs in communication, transport and law and
order. These jobs were now linked to the 'Voluntary
Auxiliary Force' which created another reason for the
Indian distrust of the community. Sir Henry Gidney worked
hard to convince the British government to continue
reserving jobs for Anglo-Indians. These jobs were now
making the community nervous, because
114