“
As we can not do without a large native army in India, our main object is to make that army safe; and next to the grand counterpoise of a sufficient European force, comes a counterpoise of natives against natives." The committee goes on to observe that, "Different races mixed together do not long preserve their distinctiveness: their corners and angles and prejudices get rubbed off, till at last they assimilate." To prevent this the system of local recruitment based on caste was evolved and regiments of Dogras, Sikhs, Rajputs, etc., were created as mutually exclusive units which could never, it was, hoped, make common cause on any national issue.
”
”