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New Delhi: Founded as the XIV Firozpur Sikhs under the British on July 30, 1846, the Sikh Regiment of the Indian Army, known as the Most Valiant, celebrated 175 years of its establishment on Saturday. Many such festive events are planned for the rest of the year.
Incidentally, the 1st Sikh (XIV Firozpur Sikh), now transformed into the 4th Mech (4 Mechanized Infantry), is the most decorated battalion in the Commonwealth.
The formation of the 1st Sikh on 30 July was followed by the formation of the 2 Sikhs, known as the XV Regiment of Ludhiana, on 1 August 1846.
The Sikh Regiment, one of the harshest battles in the army, has the distinction of being a part of every major war since its inception, including the famous Afghan War, World War I and all subsequent wars of India’s independence. of 20 battalion.
While every year, the Foundation Day is celebrated on 30 July, this year it was delayed due to operational reasons.
The regiment’s colonel is Lt Gen PGK Menon, who currently heads the Leh-based 14 Corps, which looks after the Line of Actual Control with China in the Ladakh sector.
ThePrint traces its glorious 175 years of contribution to the defense of the country and some of the major battles it has been a part of.
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British reason behind lifting
The Anglo-Sikh War of 1845 (the war that ended in February 1846) exposed the valor of Sikh soldiers to the British and made them eager to enlist Sikhs in the army. The responsibility of recruiting Sikh soldiers was given to Lieutenant Ensign J Breser, who had toured extensively in Punjab and knew both speaking Punjabi and reading Gurmukhi.
As a magazine issued by the Sikh Regiment on the occasion of the bicentenary anniversary of the Dodrans, emissaries with drums were deployed to spread the news of the nomination.
Finally, the two regiments were raised under general orders, thus laying the foundation for the Sikh Regiment as we know it today.
From ‘Battle of Saragarhi’ to ‘Guardians of the Valley’
From the pre-independence era, when the regiment was part of several major wars such as the First and Second World Wars, the Afghan Wars and the Burma Campaigns, the Sikh Regiment distinguished itself in every battle it fought.
This trend continued even after independence and the Sikh Regiment is the most decorated unit of the army.
Soon after independence, the battalion earned the nickname ‘Saviors of the Valley’, as it became the first battalion to move to Srinagar on 27 October 1947 to counter attackers launched by Pakistan to capture Jammu and Kashmir .
The battalion was also a part of the Indo-China War of 1962, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and 1971 and Kargil War of 1999.
However, one of the fiercest battles for which he is known is the ‘Battle of Saragarhi’, fought between British and Afghan tribals, where the Sikh battalion continued to advance despite being engaged in intense fighting on 19 November 1897.
It is still considered as the biggest fight, which displayed the battalion’s raw courage following the principle of “Last Man – Last Round”.
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the earliest legacy
The regiment was the first unit to be airlifted to suppress the rebellion not only in Srinagar in 1947, but also in Kurdistan in 1923.
The regiment was the first battalion to be awarded the post-independence (Srinagar) War Honor and the only Param Vir Chakra to be awarded in the Eastern Sector during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. The Sikh Regiment was the first unit that was granted. Honored “the bravest of the brave” by the Chief of the Army Staff on 15 January 1997.
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