Template:Infobox military unit The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving and most-decorated regiments.[1] The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 and 1947,[2] and post-independence it has won five battle honours, including 2 Victoria Cross, 8 Mahavir Chakra, 8 Kirti Chakra, 34 Shaurya Chakras, 39 Vir Chakras and 170 Sena Medals.[1][3] During its 200-year service history, the regiment has participated in various actions and operations in India and abroad, including the First and the Second World Wars. Numerous battalions of the Jat Regiment, including the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, fought in the First World War.[4]
History
The Regiment claims its origins from the Calcutta Native Militia that was raised in 1795,[5] which later became an infantry battalion of the Bengal Army. The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers was formed in 1857.[5] After 1860, there was a substantial increase in the recruitment of Jats into the British Indian Army. The Class Regiment(The Jats) was initially created in 1897 as infantry units from old battalions of the Bengal Army. In January 1922, at the time of the grouping of the Class Regiments of the Indian Army, the 9th Jat Regiment was formed by merging four active battalions and one training battalion into a single regiment.Template:Citation needed
The 1st Battalion was raised as the 22nd Bengal Native Infantry in 1803.Template:Citation needed The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were raised in 1817 and 1823 respectively. All three battalions had distinguished records of service, including the winning of many honours during World War I.Template:Citation needed
Objective
The British had a policy of recruiting the martial Indians from those who had less access to education as they were easier to control, so britishers raised regiments of those Martial race who were considered politically subservient, intellectually inferior, lacking the initiative or leadership qualities to command large military formations.[6][7] According to modern historian Jeffrey Greenhunt on military history, "The Martial Race theory had an elegant symmetry. Indians who were intelligent and educated were defined as cowards, while those defined as brave were uneducated and backward". According to Amiya Samanta, the marital race was chosen from people of mercenary spirit (a soldier who fights for any group or country that will pay him/her), as these groups lacked nationalism as a trait.[8]
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Battle cry
The battle cry, adopted in 1955, in Hindi, is जाट बलवान, जय भगवान (IAST: Jāt Balwān, Jai Bhagwān) (The Jat is Powerful, Victory Be to God!).[9]
Recruitment
Soldiers of the Jat Regiment are recruited 89% from the Jat community and rest from other castes of North[10][11][12] Officers may be from any part of country.
Regimental battalions
The Jat regiment has 21 regular battalions, 4 Rastriya Rifles battalions and 2 territorial army battalions, as of August 2020.[13][14]
| Unit | Raising location | Raising date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jat Regimental Centre | Calcutta | 1795 | Erstwhile The Calcutta Native Militia |
| 1 Jat (LI) | Fatehgarh | 1803 | Now converted to 2 Mechanised Infantry Regiment |
| 2 Jat | Bombay | 29 Oct 1817 | former 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment) |
| 3 Jat | Dinapur | 23 Jun 1823 | Former 10th Jats; Battle of Dograi |
| 4 Jat | Bareilly | 15 Jan 1962 | Re-raising; Saviours of Fazilka |
| 5 Jat | Varanasi | 1 Feb 1941 | Phillora Captors |
| 6 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Feb 1941 | |
| 7 Jat | Bareilly | 15 Nov 1962 | Re-raising, former 11th Jat |
| 8 Jat | Jabalpur | 14 Dec 1941 | |
| 9 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Jan 1963 | Re-raising |
| 11 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Apr 1964 | |
| 12 Jat | Bareilly | 6 Feb 1970 | |
| 14 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Oct 1963 | |
| 15 Jat | Bareilly | 15 May 1976 | Re-raising |
| 16 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Oct 1964 | |
| 17 Jat | Jabalpur | 1 Jun 1966 | Kargil |
| 18 Jat | Secunderabad | 1 Oct 1966 | |
| 19 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Aug 1980 | |
| 20 Jat | Bareilly | 27 Feb 1985 | |
| 21 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Nov 1987 | |
| 22 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Dec 2013 | Jaguars |
| 23 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Jul 2016 | |
| 24 Jat | Bareilly | 1 Sep 2020 | |
| 5 Rashtriya Rifles | Ranikhet | 15 Oct 1990 | |
| 34 Rashtriya Rifles | Bareilly | 1 Sep 1994 | Bravest of the Brave |
| 45 Rashtriya Rifles | Bareilly | 1 Aug 2001 | |
| 61 Rashtriya Rifles | Bareilly | 30 Jun 2004 | |
| 114 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) | Dehradun | 1 Oct 1960 | |
| 151 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) | Muzaffarpur | 18 Jan 2002 |
Gallantry awards
Battle honours
Pre-1947
- Nagpur & Afghanistan, 1839
- Ghuznee (Ghazni, Ali Masjid & Kandahar), 1842
- Cabool (Kabul), 1842
- Maharajpore, Sobraon, Mooltan, Goojrat (Gujarat), Punjab & China, 1858–59
- Kandahar 1880
- Burma 1885–87
- Afghanistan 1879–80
- China 1900
- La Bassée 1914
- Festubert 1914–15
- Shaiba, Ctesiphon, Khan al Baghdadi & Kut al Amara, 1915
- Neuve-Chapelle, France & Flanders, 1914–15
- Kut al Amara 1916
- Mesopotamia 1914–18
- North-West Frontier Province 1914–15 & 1917
- Afghanistan 1919
- Razabil & Burma, 1942–45
- Jitra, Kanglatongbi & Malaya, 1941–42
- Ninshigum, the Muars & North Africa, 1940–43
Post-1947
- Zoji La & Rajauri, 1947
- Jammu and Kashmir 1947–48
- Phillora & Dograi 1965
- Jammu and Kashmir & East Pakistan 1971
Unit citations
When a unit is decorated for counter-insurgency operations, unit citations are given instead of battle or theatre honours. Template:Div col
- 4th battalion, Nagaland 1995
- 7th battalion, J&K 1997, J&K 2003 & Operation Rhino 2016
- 11th battalion, Operation Rakshak 2011
- 34th battalion Rashtriya Rifles, J&K 1997
- 17th battalion, Operation Vijay 1999
- 16th battalion, Operation Rakshak 2005 & 2011
- 21st battalion, Operation Rhino 2009
- 22nd Battalion (JAGUARS), Operation Rakshak 2018
Victoria Cross
- Risaldar Badlu Singh, 14th Murray's Jat Lancers attached to 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse), Palestine 1918.[16][17]
- Havildar Abdul Hafiz, 9th Jat Regiment, Imphal 1944.[16]
Maha Vir Chakra
- Brig. (later Lt. Gen.) Joginder Singh Bakshi, 16 Jat, 1971[18]
- Lt. Col. (later Brig.) Desmond Hayde, 3 Jat, Dograi 1965
- Maj. Asaram Tyagi, 3 Jat, 1965
- Capt. Anuj Nayyar, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Capt. Kapil Singh Thapa, 3 Jat, 1965[19]
Vir Chakra
- Brig. Umesh Singh Bawa, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Lt. Col Raj Kumar Suri, 4 Jat, 1971 war[20]
- Maj. Harish Chandra Sharma, 4 Jat 1971 war[21]
- Maj. Narain Singh, 4 Jat 1971 war[22]
- Maj. Deepak Rampal, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Havildar Kumar Singh Sogarwal, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Havildar Shish Ram Gill, 8 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Sep Dharajit Singh Chahar, 4 Jat, 1988
- Sub (later Capt.) Pahlad Singh, 2 Jat, 1971 war
- Sub Brijendra Singh, 4 Jat, 1971 war[24]
Ashok Chakra
- Maj Sudhir Kumar Walia, 4 Jat (parent unit), 9 Para (Special Forces)[25]
- Col Jojan Thomas, 45 Rashtriya Rifles[26]
- Maj Dinesh Raghu Raman, 34 Rashtriya Rifles, PU 19 Jat,[27]
- Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, 34 Rashtriya Rifles
Others
- The Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar – 2010 (Organisation Category) was awarded to 21st Battalion, the Jat Regiment.[28]
- The launch of the 'Maujiram helpline' by the Jat Regiment Centre in June 2013.[29]
Battles fought
- The Regiment saw a great deal of fighting in North Africa, Ethiopia, Burma, Malaya, Singapore, and Java-Sumatra. A large number of gallantry awards including a Victoria Cross and two George Crosses were won.Template:Citation needed
- Gates of Somnath temple
After the Battle of Kabul (1842), Governor General Lord Ellenborough had ordered Major General William Nott, who was commanding British-Indian forces, to recover a set of ornate gates known as the Somnath Gates, which had been looted from India by the Afghans and hung at the tomb of Sultan Mahmud II.[30] A whole sepoy regiment, the 43rd Bengal Native Infantry—which later became the 6th Jat Light Infantry after the Indian Rebellion of 1857—was tasked with carrying the gates back to India.[31]
In 1965 India-Pakistan War, 3 soldiers from Jat regiment under Lt Col (now Brig Retd) Desmond Hayde on 1 September and then again on 21–22 September, crossed the Ichhogil Canal and in the Battle of Dograi captured Dograi right up to Batapore-Attocke Awan, advancing towards Lahore.
- 1971 India-Pakistan War
- Battle of Beriwala Bridge[32]
- Kargil War
In the 1999 Kargil War, five of the regiment's battalions took part. The regiment has also contributed battalions to UN missions in Korea and Congo. It was also involved in counter-insurgency operations that have kept the Indian Army busy ever since independence.Template:Citation needed[33]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Army's Jat Regiment Best Marching Contingent in Republic Day 2007 Parade | India Defence http://www.dsalert.org/gallantry-awards/shaurya-chakra
- ↑ BHARAT RAKSHAK MONITOR: Volume 3(4). Retrieved 2011-01-09..
- ↑ 2 Anti-Tank Regiment, Saa -Tank and Anti-Tank in the Western Desert, 1940-1942 (Part Iv). Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies({Template:Date).
- ↑ The Times History of the War: The Battlefield of Europe. Woodward & Van Slyke
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The valiant Jat soldier – The Tribute. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ Khaki and the Ethnic Violence in India: Army, Police, and Paramilitary Forces During Communal Riots{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Three Essays Collective(2003). ISBN 9788188789092
- ↑ Prostitution, Race, and Politics: Policing Venereal Disease in the British Empire{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Psychology Press(2003). ISBN 978-0-415-94447-2
- ↑ Gorkhaland Movement: A Study in Ethnic Separatism{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. APH Publishing(2000). ISBN 978-81-7648-166-3
- ↑ Infantry in India{{#if:Raghavan|, Raghavan}. Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd.(1997). ISBN 8125904840
- ↑ The Official Home Page of the Indian Army. www.indianarmy.nic.in(1980-01-01). Retrieved 2022-05-01.
- ↑ SUNDAY DEBATE: Should there be reservation in the Indian Army?. Times of India(6 November 2005).
- ↑ Jat Regiment raises new battalion. The Tribune(6 July 2016).
- ↑ REGIMENTAL HISTORY. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
- ↑ 24th battalion of Jat Regiment to be raised in Bareilly. The Times of India(2020-08-31). Retrieved 2021-08-20.
- ↑ Official Website of Indian Army. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 We Were There – Medals and Awards – Victoria Cross Winners. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ↑ Risaldar Badlu Singh, VC Template:Webarchive
- ↑ The Official Home Page of the Indian Army.
- ↑ Captain Kapil Singh Thapa MVC | Honourpoint.
- ↑ RAJ KUMAR SURI | Gallantry Awards. gallantryawards.gov.in.
- ↑ HARISH CHANDRA SHARMA | Gallantry Awards. gallantryawards.gov.in.
- ↑ NARAIN SINGH | Gallantry Awards. gallantryawards.gov.in.
- ↑ DHARAJIT SINGH CHAHAR | Gallantry Awards. gallantryawards.gov.in.
- ↑ 1971 war veteran felicitated.
- ↑ Major Sudhir Kumar Walia AC, SM (Bar) | Honourpoint.
- ↑ JOJAN THOMAS | Gallantry Awards. gallantryawards.gov.in.
- ↑ DINESH RAGHU RAMAN | Gallantry Awards. gallantryawards.gov.in.
- ↑ Jat Regiment's battalion gets environment award. Business Standard India(19 February 2014). Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ↑ National helpline for soldiers, Army widows | India News - Times of India. The Times of India.
- ↑ Dalrymple (2013), pp.444–445
- ↑ britishbattles.com. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
- ↑ New Pakistan army chief's brother died in 1971 Battle of Majors in Fazilka(1 December 2013).
- ↑ India Military Guide.
Further reading
- War Services of the 9th Jat Regiment by Lieutenant Colonel W. L. Hailes details the military history of the Jat Regiment and of the Jat people between 1893 and 1937.