Statement I : King Ashoka abolished capital punishment and disbanded his army. Statement I : After Kalinga War, Ashoka was remorseful and became a Buddhist.

Statement I is false because King Ashoka did not abolish capital punishment or disband his army. Historical evidence indicates that while he promoted non-violence (ahimsa) and humanistic values, he maintained the death penalty, though he granted a three-day stay of execution for those condemned to death to allow them to seek spiritual merit [1]. Furthermore, there is no historical record of him disbanding the Mauryan army; instead, he used the threat of force to maintain order among forest tribes even after his conversion. Statement II is true as the Kalinga War (c. 261 BCE) was the turning point where the massive carnage and suffering moved Ashoka to deep remorse. This transformation led him to embrace Buddhism and replace 'Bherighosha' (war drum) with 'Dhammaghosha' (sound of righteousness).

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Ashoka > p. 52