Punjab Regiment (India)
Punjab Regiment | |
---|---|
Line Infantry | |
Size | 20 Battalions |
Regimental Centre | Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand |
Motto(s) | Khushki wa Tari/Sthal Wa Jal (By Land and Sea) |
War Cry | Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal (Shout Aloud in Ecstasy, True is the Great Eternal God!) (Sikh) Bol Jawala Ma ki jai (say victory to Goddess Jawala) (Hindu) |
Decorations | • Victoria Cross - 11 • Military Cross - 187 |
Battle honours | Post Independence
Zojila, Icchogil, Dograi, Burki, Kalidhar, Bedori, Nangi Tekri, Brachil Pass, Lieutenant general Anindya Sengupta |
Insignia | |
Regimental Insignia | A Galley with a bank of oars and sail |
Flag of The Regiment |
The Punjab Regiment is the second oldest regiment still in service in the Indian Army, and is the most senior regional infantry regiment. It was formed from the 2nd Punjab Regiment of the British Indian Army in 1947 and has taken part in various battles and wars since, winning numerous honours for the same.
Prior to independence and partition there were a number of "Punjab Regiments" in the British Indian Army. These were amalgamated to form six regiments: the 1st Punjab Regiment, the 2nd Punjab Regiment, the 8th Punjab Regiment, the 14th Punjab Regiment, the 15th Punjab Regiment and the 16th Punjab Regiment. At the onset of independence in 1947, the 1st, 8th, 14th, 15th and 16th Punjab Regiments went over to the newly raised Pakistan Army, while the 2nd Punjab Regiment was retained in the Indian Army. Troops were transferred between regiments based on whether the soldiers would be a part of Pakistan or India.
History
The Punjab Regiment is one of the oldest in the Indian Army. The first battalion which today constitutes this regiment was raised in 1805, by the then
The 1st battalion of the 2nd Punjab Regiment initially formed part of the 44th Airborne Division in an airborne role on the disbandment of the Parachute Regiment in 1946 and was called 1st battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment (Para). The unit retained most of the Punjab Regiment's uniform, but donned the maroon beret, qualification wings and allied insignias of airborne forces. In 1952, when the Parachute Regiment was re-raised and a Regimental Centre formed, the 1st battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment (Para) became the first battalion of the Parachute Regiment and was renamed as the 1st battalion, Parachute Regiment (Punjab). The uniform changed to the Parachute Regiment's, but the battalion retained the Punjab Regiment's hackle on its headgear.
In 1951, four experienced battalions of the former princely states of
15 Punjab
15 Punjab (formerly First Patiala) completed 300 years of service on 13 April 2005. The battalion was raised on the auspicious
2 Punjab
2 Punjab (now 1st battalion, Brigade of the Guards) was raised in 1762 as the tenth battalion of the Coastal Sepoys and has been redesignated eighteen times since then. The troop composition of the unit was changed to a North Zone Battalion in 1902 and the unit was redesignated as 69 Punjab. In 1922, the unit was redesignated as 2nd battalion, 2 Punjab Regiment. The battalion, by virtue of its seniority and efficiency, was handpicked by the then Chief of the Army Staff, Gen. (later Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa to be redesignated as 1st battalion, Brigade of the Guards, in April 1951. Lt. Col. (later Brigadier) Shivinder Singh was the first commanding officer of the battalion. Since then, 22 commanding officers have commanded the battalion. Of them, Lt. Col. M.C.S Menon, Lt. Col. Sehdev Sahgal and Lt. Col. P.P Singh retired as Generals.
UN Peacekeeping Operations
In recent years, the Punjab Regiment has contributed towards
Regimental Centre
The Regimental Centre was first raised at Loralai and was shifted to Multan in 1922, Meerut in 1929 and its present location in Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand, in 1976.
Units
- 3rd Battalion
- 9th Battalion
- 13th Battalion - (former Jind Infantry) - Princely State Forces unit of Imperial Service Troops
- 14th Battalion - (former Nabha Akal Infantry) - Princely State Forces unit of Imperial Service Troops
- 15th Battalion - (former 1st Patiala Rajinder Sikh Infantry) - Princely State Forces unit of Imperial Service Troops
- 16th Battalion - (former 2nd Patiala Yadvinder Infantry) - Princely State Forces unit of Imperial Service Troops
- 17th Battalion
- 18th Battalion
- 19th Battalion
- 20th Battalion
- 21st Battalion
- 22nd Battalion
- 23rd Battalion (Longewala)
- 24th Battalion
- 25th Battalion
- 26th Battalion
- 27th Battalion
- 28th Battalion
- 29th Battalion
- 30th Battalion
- 31st Battalion
Territorial Army (TA)
- 102nd Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Punjab) : Kalka, Haryana
- 150th Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Punjab) : New Delhi
- 156th Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Punjab) (Home and Hearth) Punjab: Rajouri, Jammu & Kashmir
Rashtriya Rifles (RR)
- 7th Battalion Rashtriya Rifles
- 22nd Battalion Rashtriya Rifles
- 37th Battalion Rashtriya Rifles
- 53rd Battalion Rashtriya Rifles
Others:
- 1st Battalion is now 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Special Forces)
- 2nd Battalion is now 1st Battalion, Brigade of the Guards (Mechanized)
- 4th Battalion was disbanded in 1938
- 7th Battalion is now 8th Battalion, Mechanised Infantry Regiment
- 8th Battalion was disbanded after World War II
- 10th Battalion is the Punjab Regimental Centre
The regiment has an affiliation with INS Ranjit, a heavy destroyer of the Indian Navy.
Class Composition
The original battalions of the regiment that were transferred to India after 1947 were composed primarily of
Key Battles
Battle of Longewala
During the
Regimental Insignia
The regiment is perhaps the only infantry regiment with naval galley as an insignia, anywhere. It was awarded to 69th Punjabis (later 2nd Punjab) in recognition of the readiness to serve overseas, after the battalion had fought in eight overseas campaigns by 1824.
Battle honours
Pre-Independence
Sholinghur, Carnatic, Mysore, Mehidpore, Ava, China, Pegu, Lucknow, Burma, Afghanistan, Laos, Flanders, Hellis, Krithia, Gallipoli, Suez, Egypt, Sharon, Nablus, Palestine, Aden, Kut-al-Amara, Baghdad, Mesopotamia, North Western Frontier, Mersa Metruh, Buthidaung, Ngakyedauk Pass, Imphal, Kangla Tongbi, Tonzang, Kennedy Peak, Meiktila, pyinmana, Malaya, Ipoh, Singapore, Kern and Casa Bettini.
Post-Independence
Zoji La, Ichhogil, Dograi, Barki, Kalidhar, Bedori, Nangi Tekri, Brachil Pass, Laungewala, Garibpur, Chak Amaru and Jessore[2]
In fiction
- Films
- J.P.Dutta, depicts the Battle of Longewala.
- Lakshya, a 2004 Bollywood film depicting the Kargil War, places the protagonist (played by Hrithik Roshan) as an acting captain in 3 Punjab.
See also
- List of regiments of the Indian Army
- Punjab Regiment (Pakistan)
References
- ^ a b John Pike. "Punjab Regiment". Globalsecurity.org 2007 un missn setesen. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ "Punjab Regiment". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009.