Ghatak Platoon

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Ghatak Forces
Country 
SIGINT
Special operations
Special reconnaissance
Tactical emergency medical services
Target acquisition
Tracking
Urban warfare
Size7,000[1]

Ghatak Platoons are special operations capable reconnaissance platoons present in every

General Bipin Chandra Joshi. They act as shock troops and spearhead assaults ahead of the battalion.[2]

Role

Ghatak platoon commandos.

Their operational role is similar to

US Army and the Commando Ranger Regiments of the Republic of Korea Army. They can be tasked by the battalion or brigade commander to carry out tasks such as special reconnaissance, raids on enemy artillery positions, airfields, supply dumps and tactical headquarters or other special operations at a tactical level. They are also capable of directing artillery and air attacks on targets deep within enemy lines.[2]

Brugger & Thomet MP9
during Yudh Abhyas 2018 exercise.

Unit composition

A Ghatak platoon is usually 20-men strong, consisting of a commanding

Captain, 2 non-commissioned officers and some specialised soldiers like designated marksman, light machine gunners, medics and radio operators
. The remaining soldiers act as assault troopers. Officers and soldiers from combat support arms such as Engineers, Signals, Artillery, etc are also deputed for specialist roles during operations. [3][4]

Training

The most physically fit and motivated soldiers of all arms and services of the Indian Army either volunteer or are selected to be a part of the Ghatak platoon. Personnel attend training at the Commando Training Course in Belgaum, Karnataka.[2] As a part of the training, the soldiers are evaluated through speed marches in battle gear ranging from 20 to 60 km, carrying their rifles and 20 kg of weight in their rucksacks. Depending on their role and parent unit, the successful individuals often undergo specialized training in close-quarter battle/close-quarter combat, combat and patrolling techniques in urban areas, commando style raids tactics, counter-ambushes, demolition, defusing and disposal of bombs, land mines, and unexploded ordnance, fast tactical shooting, heliborne assault and exfil, intelligence gathering, living off the jungle and mountain, military intelligence, NBCR on operations in contaminated environments, navigation, read the coordinates to point the target fire artillery and forward air control attack enemy, reconnaissance tactics, rock climbing, SERE, small unit tactics, SIGINT, swimming, tactical emergency medical services, and tracking. Some operators are sent to the High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) and the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) as well.[2] However, most of them are not parachute qualified. It is mandatory for all infantry officers to pass the Commando Training Course.[2]

Equipment

Ghatak platoons are equipped with the

Indian Ordnance Factories, while other items are obtained from foreign suppliers.[5][6] As part of modernization, SIG-716 and AK-203 rifles were introduced in 2021.[7]

Currently, the Indian Army is upgrading the equipment of these units by procuring lighter

sub-machine guns for the Ghatak platoons of infantry battalions.[9] Additionally, door breaching ammunition and non-lethal systems like stun grenades and ballistic shields are being procured for counter-insurgency operations.[1]

Honours

Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav (then Grenadier) of the 18th Battalion, The Grenadiers was a part of the Ghatak Platoon during the Battle of Tiger Hill in the Kargil War, for which he was awarded India's highest wartime gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.[10]

Ashok Chakra.[11][12]

Captain Chander Choudhary Sihag, the Ghatak Platoon commander in The Grenadiers, was killed in action and martyred on 9 September 2002, during a search and destroy operation against insurgents in Dubri village in Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir.

Mahavir Chakra.[13]

Mahavir Chakra for his bravery.[14]

Sepoy Gurtej Singh belonging to the Ghatak Platoon of the 3rd Battalion,

Galwan Valley on 15 June 2020 where he killed 12 enemy soldiers, including several with his kirpan, before his death. For his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the third highest wartime gallantry award, the Vir Chakra.[15]

Captain Gurjinder Singh Suri , (04 July 1974 – 09 November 1999) was an Indian Army officer of 12 Battalion, Bihar Regiment who was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second highest gallantry award, for exemplary valor in combat during a gunbattle in the Faulad post attack in 1999.Singh was killed in a gun battle in the Gulmarg, Uri sector on 9 November 1999 where the Pakistani army attacked the Faulad Post. During this battle, Manoj Kumar, Birendra Kumar, Birendra Nath Tiwari were also killed.

References

  1. ^ a b "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Main News". Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  2. ^
    India Tv
    . 8 August 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  3. ^ "Special Operations: Indian Commandos Set Free". Strategypage.com. 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  4. ^ "Indian Army pulls in 'Ghatak Commandos' near LOC".
  5. ^ "OFB in Brief : Indian Ordnance Factories". Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Weapons : Indian Ordnance Factories". Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Army to equip all infantry battalions, not just frontline troops, with US Sig Sauer rifles". 15 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Special Operations: Broken Promises Rattle Indian Operators". Strategypage.com. 2010-12-01. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  9. ^ "India Fast-Tracks Acquisitions, Inks Three Defence Deals for the Army". defencenow.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  10. ^ "Independence Day Special: The Hero of Tiger Hill - Rediff.com News". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  11. ^ President to Confer Ashoka Chakra on Lt. Navdeep Singh (Posthumous), Press Information Bureau, 25-January 2012, pib.nic.in
  12. ^ Ashok Chakra to Lt Navdeep Singh posthumously, Jalandhar, January 25, 2012, tribuneindia.com
  13. ^ "Neikezhakuo Kenguruse | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  14. ^ "India Celebrates 22nd Kargil Vijay Diwas: The War That Made Ordinary Soldiers a Household Heroes". 26 July 2021.
  15. ^ "23 YO Gurtej Singh: An Inspiration for Today's Youth".
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