Rajput Regiment
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Rajput Regiment | |
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Active | 1778–present |
Country | India |
Allegiance | British India (1778–1947) India (1947–present) |
Branch | British Indian Army (1778-1947) Indian Army (1947–present) |
Type | Line Infantry |
Size | 23 Battalions |
Regimental Centre | Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh |
Motto(s) | Sarvatra Vijay (Victory Everywhere) |
War Cry | Bol Bajrang Bali Ki Jai (Victory to Lord Hanuman) |
Decorations | 1 Param Vir Chakra, 3 Ashoka Chakra, 5 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 7 Maha Vir Chakras, 12 Kirti Chakras, 5 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 66 Vir Chakras, 20 Shaurya Chakras 8 Yudh Seva Medals, 313 Sena Medals, 19 Vishisht Seva Medals, 1 Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal, 1 Padma Shri |
Battle honours | Post Independence Naushera, Zoji La, Khinsar, Madhumati River, Belonia, Khansama and Akhaura |
Commanders | |
Current commander | V K Singh |
Insignia | |
Regimental Insignia | A pair of crossed Rajputi Katars (कटार) flanked by 3 Ashoka leaves on either side |
Tartan | Rajput |
The Rajput Regiment is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the Indian Army, originating in 1778 with the raising of the 24th Regiment of Bengal Native Infantry. The 1st battalion of the regiment was formed in 1798.[1]
After World War I, the Indian Army was restructured and most Rajput regiments became battalions of the 7th Rajput Regiment. These included the 2nd Queen Victoria's Own, the 4th Prince Albert Victor's, the 7th (Duke of Connaught's Own), and the 11th Rajputs.
Before India gained independence from the
Operations
World War I
Most of the Rajput battalions saw action during the First World War. The 1st battalion fought at the
Interwar Period
In 1922 the infantry regiments of the
- 1st battalion: from 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Rajput Light Infantry (1911–1922)[a]
- 2nd battalion: from 4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs (1901–1922)[b]
- 3rd battalion: from 7th (Duke of Connaught's Own) Rajput Infantry (1903–1922)[c]
- 4th battalion: from 8th Rajput Infantry (1901–1922)[d]
- 5th battalion: from 11th Rajput Infantry (1901–1922)[e]
- 10th (Training) battalion: from the 16th Rajput Infantry (The Lucknow Regiment) (1901–1922)[f]
Also the one-class characteristics of most of the infantry regiments were changed, and the Rajputs introduced a company each of Punjabi Muslims and Hindustani Muslims in each of their battalions.[citation needed]
In late 1936 and 1937, the 3rd battalion ( 3/7 Rajput), was posted to Waziristan in what is now the tribal areas of Pakistan. During that time, they were employed against Afghan insurgents and criminal gangs raiding across the border.[9]
World War II
A number of Rajput battalions participated in World War II:
The 1st battalion was in the
The 2nd battalion was also in the Arakan area and a number of battles were fought by it. The capture of Point 551, also called Rajput Hill, was the most important. The Japanese forces holding this feature had repelled attacks by other battalions, but the Rajputs managed to capture the hill, winning an Indian Order of Merit, five Military Crosses and two Military Medals for this action.
The 3rd battalion was shipped by convoy to
The 4th battalion was also involved in the
The 5th battalion fought in the
1947–48 Jammu & Kashmir Operations
At the time of partition in 1947, Punjabi and Bengali Muslims who formed up to 50% of the strength in most battalions were transferred to the Pakistan Army. The gaps created by their departure were filled in by Gurjars, who came over from the Punjab Regiments which were allotted to Pakistan. The numeral prefix (7) was removed from the regiment's name and it became the Rajput Regiment.
Four Rajput battalions (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th) participated in the 1947–48 operations in Jammu & Kashmir. 3 Rajput was the first to be inducted. Its original task was to protect Ramban and Jammu, but it quickly came under the 50th Parachute Brigade for its relief of Jhangar and Kotli. The advance from Jhangar to Kotli took five days, as the column had to clear 47 road blocks. After the relief of Kotli the column returned to Naushera. 1 Rajput was inducted next and it also formed a part of the 50th Parachute Brigade at Naushera. It had its share of fighting in clearing the raiders from some hill features around Naushera. The raiders meanwhile kept heavy pressure on the Naushera-Jhangar road and both 1 and 3 Rajput fought a number of engagements to keep the road open. In December 1947, 4 Rajput were inducted and deployed in the Chammb-Akhnoor area. 2 Rajput came in next and were employed for lines of communication duties around Jammu.
Aggressive patrolling was done by 1 and 3 Rajputs around Naushera and Kot. On February, y 194,8 a strong patrol was sent out in the area east of Naushera. The patrol was surrounded by an enemy force of approximately 1000 men. Soon a fierce fight started which continued for seven hours. During this time Subedar Gopal Singh's platoon came under heavy pressure. Gopal Singh, wounded thrice, kept reorganizing his men time and again. At one time Gopal Singh got separated from his platoon and had only three men at his side, one of them being Sep. Sikdar Singh. When things got tough Sub. Gopal Singh led a bayonet charge during which he was seriously wounded. Sikdar Singh picked him up and carried him back to the main patrol area. Hav. Mahadeo Singh was another hero. He kept on supplying ammunition to the Bren gunners of the platoon, and a couple of times he walked through heavy enemy fire to get the ammunition through. In one of his attempts he was wounded and fell down, but when he scrambled to his feet he was riddled with bullets. In this action the 3 Rajputs won 3 Vir Chakras – one each to Sub. Gopal Singh and Sep. Sikdar Singh and a posthumous one to Hav. Mahadeo Singh.
After the fall of Jhangar, Naushera became the enemy's next objective. Brig.
The left flank of C Coy gave an easy approach to the enemy. This sector was defended by Nk. Jadunath Singh and his section. The enemy after failing in the frontal attacks switched the main effort on this sector. Jadunath Singh effectively directed the fire of his Bren gun, rifles and grenades. The enemy, however still continued to advance. Jadunath Singh rushed out of his defensive position throwing hand grenades and firing his Sten gun, taking the enemy by surprise and forcing them to withdraw to regroup. The enemy charged again, but Jadunath Singh again stood firm and charged out. He was wounded this time but the attack failed again. By this time his section had suffered heavy casualties. The enemy attacked again and Jadunath Singh charged out for the third time, firing his Sten gun and hurling grenades. He was hit by two bullets, one in the head and another in the chest and at last fell. The enemy had lost heart after this and withdrew, leaving behind a large number of dead and wounded. For his gallantry, Jadunath Singh was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
1962 Sino-Indian War
Two Rajput battalions witnessed some heavy fighting in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) in 1962. 2 Rajput, under the command of Lt. Col. M.S. Rikh, were at Walong in early 1962 and were moved to the banks of the Namka Chu river by 10 October as a part of 7 Infantry Brigade. The brigade was stretched on a twelve-mile front along the Namka Chu, with the marching time from one end to the other being five days. The site chosen for their defences was forced upon them by the corps commander, who was working directly with the political authorities instead of the military chain of command. The battalion took up hastily erected defensive positions along the Namka Chu. The battalion was deployed in a trackless wilderness, where no mules could go and no civilian population lived which could help logistically. Lack of winter clothing added to the hardships of the men on these snowy heights. By the time the fighting commenced, the Chinese had occupied all the dominating heights in the area. A massive assault came on the Rajput front and in the fierce fighting that ensured, the battalion repulsed a number of determined attacks. The positions were soon enveloped from both sides and the battalion was cut off. In spite of heavy odds against them the men of 2 Rajput did not give in and fought until the end.
The story of gallantry beyond the call of duty was re-enacted in many platoons and companies. At the temporary bridge, Nk. Roshan Singh's section clung doggedly to its position till every man was killed. Sub. Dasrath Singh's platoon was reduced to seven men and had exhausted its ammunition in repulsing three Chinese attacks. When the fourth Chinese attack came the Rajputs fixed bayonets and charged. In the ensuing hand-to-hand fighting four men were killed and the three survivors all seriously wounded were captured. Jemadar Bose's platoon was left with only 10 men after halting three Chinese attacks. He too fixed bayonets and charged. He along with most of his platoon were killed.[12]
Maj. B.K. Pant's company held fast against three waves of Chinese assaults and had suffered heavy casualties. Pant himself was wounded in the stomach and legs, yet he continued to lead and inspire his men, exhorting them to fight till the end to the last man. The Chinese, sensing that their obstacle in taking 2 Rajput's position lay with Maj. Pant, brought a volley of machine-gun fire on his position, killing him instantly. His last words were "Men of the Rajput Regiment, you were born to die for your country. God has selected this small river for which you must die. Stand up and fight like true Rajputs." He died proudly shouting the Rajput war cry, "Bajrang Bali ki Jai". Maj. Pant's company of 112 men had 82 killed and wounded.
Not a single man from B, C or D Coys was awarded any gallantry medal as there was no one left to write the citations because there was no officer or JCO who was not killed or seriously wounded and taken POW. When the CO, Lt. Col. M.S. Rikh was released from the POW camp, he wrote up the citations but the Indian government and Ministry of Defence made excuses and did not pay any attention to them. There is a memorial erected to those who fought at Namka Chu, which is a tin shed with names still missing from it and names of people who were not present there have been put up.
Out of 513 all ranks of 2 Rajput in battle, 282 were killed and 81 were wounded and captured. 90 others were taken prisoners when they tried to break out. Only 60 other ranks, mostly from the administrative elements, got back.
4 Rajput under Lt. Col. B. Avasthi was in the Sela-Bomdila area and it too had to face heavy odds. There was conflicting views among the senior commanders. The brigade commander wanted to hold Sela, but the divisional commander wanted to fall back. The divisional commander and the corps commander both agreed to withdraw. This led to total chaos during the retreat as the Chinese had bypassed many positions and ambushed parties of the soldiers withdrawing in a number of places. The battalion broke up into a number of parties, one led by Lt. Col. Avasti was ambushed and he was killed along with 300 men.
1965 Indo-Pakistani War
After the Rann of Kutch affair, Pakistan switched its attempts towards Kargil and in May 1965 it attacked one of the Indian posts there. 4 Rajput as a part of 121 Infantry Brigade were ordered to capture Point 13620 and Black Rock (15000) also known as Kargil heights to remove any threat to the Srinagar-Leh highway. Both posts consisted of three parts and each of these features was held by a platoon plus of the enemy in addition to a section of 3" mortars and MMGs on Point 13620. On 17 May 1965, B Coy under Maj. Baljit Singh Randhawa infiltrated deep behind the enemy held posts and attacked them. A grim battles was the fought and the Rajputs were successful in evicting the enemy. Maj. Randhawa was killed in the action and was posthumously awarded a Maha Vir Chakra. 3 Vir Chakras were also awarded to the company, one each to Capt. Ranbir Singh, Sep. Budh Singh and a posthumous one to Hav. Girdhari Lal. Black Rock was captured by A Coy in the second phase of the attack. As an act of goodwill by the Indian government these posts were handed back to the Pakistanis some weeks later. These were again recaptured by another battalion in August 1965.
In August, 4 Rajput were moved to the Hajipir area and Bisali feature was captured by them on the night of 4/5 September. This assault was carried out in face of heavy MMG, mortar and artillery fire. The Pakistanis launched five counterattacks and all these were beaten back. By this time the Rajputs had nearly exhausted all of their ammunition and with no hope of reinforcements, they had to withdraw to other defensive positions.
6 Rajput were in and around Srinagar dealing with the Pakistani infiltrators. A number of raids and ambushes were systematically carried out by them. After the infiltrator menace had died down, 6 Rajput moved to the Akhnoor area and came under 191 Infantry Brigade, which in turn was directly under HQ 15 corps. The battalion was supplied with RCL guns but without sights. When asking for the sights they were told to "see through the barrels and engage the Pakistani armour". The battalion held on to a number of forward posts in the area in the face of repeated counterattacks and heavy shelling. Some time after the cease fire a Brigadier came around to see the 6 Rajput defences. He asked Nk. Nanak Singh, who was in charge of an LMG position as to where his range card was, and how could he fire properly without knowing his primary and secondary arcs. Nanak Singh replied that he would fire at wherever the enemy came from. This annoyed the Brigadier and he said that Nanak Singh was not a good NCO. Nanak Singh faced the Brigadier and said, "Sahib, jab golian chal rahi theen to dikhai nahin diye. Ab range card poochh rahe ho." (Sir, when the bullets were flying you were nowhere to be seen and now you are asking for the range card!). That ended the matter.
14 and 20 Rajput were at the Phillora-Chawinda front and after the capture of Charwa on the border, 20 Rajput led the advance for the next 10 days. 17 Rajput were in the southern Lahore sector in the Bedian area.