Bihar Regiment

The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment.[4] It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army.[5] The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, the 19th  Hyderabad Regiment, and raising new battalions. The Bihar Regimental Centre (BRC) is located at Danapur Cantonment, Patna, the second oldest cantonment of India. INS Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy's largest ship and its sole aircraft carrier is affiliated to the Bihar Regiment, Indian Army's highly-decorated and battle-hardened unit. The regiment also distinguishes itself by having the highest number of Rashtriya Rifles battalions (4 battalions: 4RR, 24RR, 47RR, 63RR) among all regiments of the Indian Army.

Bihar Regiment
Regimental Insignia of the Bihar Regiment
Active1941–Present
Country British India 1941-1947
 India 1947-Present
Branch Indian Army
TypeInfantry
Size26 Battalions
Regimental CentreDanapur Cantonment, Patna
Nickname(s)
  • Veer Biharis
  • Killer Machines
  • Jungle Warriors
  • Bajrang Bali's Armmy
Motto(s)Karam Hi Dharam (Work is Worship)
War CriesJai Bajrang Bali (Victory to Bajrang Bali) and Birsa Munda Ki Jai (Victory to Birsa Munda)[1]
EngagementsBurma Campaign, World War II
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Operation Pawan 1987
Kargil War
Surgical Strike 2016
2020 China–India skirmishes
DecorationsPre Independence[2]

Post Independence[2]

Battle honoursHaka, Gangaw and Batalik.
  • Theatre honours: Burma (1945), Akhaura (1971), Kargil (1999)
Commanders
Colonel of the Bihar RegimentMaj Gen OP Gulia, SM [3]
Notable
commanders
  • Lt Gen Sant Singh
  • Lt Gen K S Mann
  • Lt Gen A R K Reddy
  • Lt Gen O S Lohchab
  • Lt Gen Balbir Singh
  • Brig SC Johar
  • Col Umesh Kumar Ojha
  • Col B. Santosh Babu
Insignia
Regimental InsigniaThe Ashoka Lion

Bihari martial tradition

The martial tradition of Bihar troops in the era of British rule traces its origins to the 34th sepoy battalion raised in 1757 by Lord Clive of the British East India Company at Patna.[6] The battalion was formed by men entirely from the Bhojpur (Arrah) district. Later battalions recruited from the entire Shahabad area (the present day districts of Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas & Kaimur in Bihar).[6]Their success in combat impressed Mir Kasim, the Nawab of Bengal from 1760 to 1763, who began raising units trained in western combat techniques. Bihari battalions raised by Mir Kasim defeated the British in some engagements. The Bihari, or Purbiya, soldiers thereafter made up the backbone of the Bengal Infantry of the British Colonial Army.[7]

They were not only excellent soldiers but also quick to learn and apply the tactical drills with initiative. They were disciplined when led by good officers but capable of hostility when their beliefs and customs were disregarded. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the introduction of greased cartridges (thought to be done so with a mixture of beef and pork fat—abhorrent to Hindus and Muslims),[8] was led by Bihari troops, who preferred being blown by the guns exploding to losing their faith. Thereafter, Biharis were not encouraged to enter military service by the British until after World War I.[9]

Composition and Recruitment

As the name suggests, Bihar Regiment only recruits from the state of old Bihar (i.e present day Bihar and Jharkhand). Most of the troops are from the state of present day Bihar, around 70% and 30% is from present day Jharkhand. The regiment recruited soldiers mainly from the Ahir,Bhumihar (mainly), Koeri and Kurmi castes, as well as members of other tribals from Bihar and Jharkhand.[10]

History

The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 during World War II by regularising the 11th (Territorial) Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment as the 1st Battalion Bihar Regiment. The 2nd Battalion was raised in 1942.

Bihar Regiment in World War II

The newly raised 1 Bihar saw action in the Burma Campaign. The battalion was part of the famous Lushai Brigade and captured Haka on 19 October 1944 and Gangaw on 11 January 1945.[11] 2 Bihar formed part of Operation Zipper under Lieutenant Colonel (Later Lieutenant General) Sant Singh for the reoccupation of British Malaya.

In recognition of the gallant actions, the Battalion was awarded two Battle Honours namely HAKA and GANGAW and was also bestowed with the Theatre Honour of Burma.[11]

History after Independence

Thereafter, both battalions participated in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 in the Kashmir Valley during 1948–49.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, 7 Bihar captured Bedori, paving the way for the capture of Haji Pir Pass.

The Bihar Regiment Centre Contingent passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day Parade 2017

By the start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the Regiment had expanded to 11 battalions. The sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth and eleventh battalions participated in operations in the eastern sector. 10 Bihar was conferred the theatre honour 'East Pakistan' for the capture of Akhaura. On 15 December 1971, a seaborne expedition was launched at Cox's Bazar to prevent Pakistani troops from escaping into Burma. 11 Bihar formed part of this amphibious task force. In the Western theatre of the war, 3 Bihar captured Wanjal.[12]

In the Spring of 1999, Pakistani soldiers posing as Kashmiri militants crossed the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil and entered Indian territory. Operation Vijay was launched by the Indian Army to flush out the intruders. More than 10,000 soldiers and officers of the Bihar Regiment were deployed to Kargil.[13] In a well-planned operation in the Batalik sector, soldiers of 1 Bihar, in a fierce fight with the Pakistan Army, captured Point 4268 and Jubar Ridge in Kuker Thang area in the Batalik sector on the night 06/7 July 1999.[14]

On the night of 15 June 2020, soldiers of 16 Bihar Regiment fought with soldiers of China at Galwan Valley, in Ladakh. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed, including battalion commanding-officer Colonel B. Santosh Babu.[15]

Units of the regiment have also served in UN Peacekeeping operations in Somalia (UNOSOM)[16] and the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC).[17]

Deployments of units of the Bihar Regiment

Units

Regimental Battalions:

  • 1st Battalion
  • 2nd Battalion
  • 3rd Battalion
  • 4th Battalion
  • 5th Battalion
  • 6th Battalion
  • 7th Battalion
  • 8th Battalion
  • 9th Battalion
  • 10th Battalion
  • 11th Battalion
  • 12th Battalion
  • 14th Battalion
  • 15th Battalion
  • 16th Battalion
  • 17th Battalion
  • 18th Battalion
  • 19th Battalion
  • 20th Battalion
  • 21st Battalion
  • 22nd Battalion
  • 23rd Battalion
  • 4 RR Battalion
  • 24 RR Battalion
  • 47 RR Battalion
  • 63 RR Battalion
  • 120 Infantry Battalion (TA): Bhubaneswar, Odisha
  • 154 Infantry Battalion (TA): Brichgunj, Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Distinctions

Battle and theatre honours
  • Battle honour Haka, awarded for Burma Campaign, World War II[18]
  • Battle honour Gangaw, also awarded for Burma Campaign, World War II.[18]
  • Theatre honour Burma 1942-45[18]
  • Theatre honour East Pakistan 1971[18]
  • Battle honour Batalik[19]
  • Theatre honour Kargil[19]

Gallantry Awards

The regiment is one of the highly decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The tally of awards till date are as under[20]:-

Pre-Independence

(i)   Distinguished Service Order (DSO ) - 07

(ii)   Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) -  08

(iii)  Military Cross (MC) -05

(iv)  Order of British India (OBI) - 06

(v)   Military Medal (MM) -   09

Post Independence

(i)    Ashoka Chakra (AC) - 07

(ii)   Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) - 35

(iii)   Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) - 09

(iv)   Kirti Chakra (KC) - 21

(v)  Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM ) - 49

(vi)  Vir Chakra (VrC ) - 51

(vii)  Shaurya Chakra (SC) - 70

(viii) Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) - 09

(ix)  Sena Medal (SM)- 448

(x)   Jivan Rakshak Padak - 07

(xi)  Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) - 42

(xii)  Mention in Despatches  - 45

Name of the awardees of prominent awards from the regiment are as given below:

Ashoka Chakra

Maha Vir Chakra

Vir Chakra
  • Major Mariappan Saravanan (Posthumous), 1 BIHAR, Kargil War[23]
  • Colonel M Ravi, 10 BIHAR, 1971 East Pakistan (Later Bangladesh)
  • Lt Col K P R Hari, 10 BIHAR[24]
  • Lt. Col. P.C. Sawhney, 10 BIHAR,1971 East Pakistan (Later Bangladesh)
  • Maj (Later Maj.Gen.) D.P.Singh, 10 BIHAR,1971 East Pakistan (Later Bangladesh)
  • Maj Harpal Singh Grewal (Posthumous), 8 BIHAR, 1971 East Pakistan (Later Bangladesh)[25]
  • Sub Ghama Oraon, 1 BIHAR, Sri Lanka[26]
  • Naik Shatrughan Singh, 1 BIHAR, Batalik sector, Kargil war (1999)[27]
  • Col P K Sinha , 15 BIHAR, Sri Lanka
  • Nb Sub Nudu Ram Soren, VrC (Posthumous), 16 BIHAR, (Op Snow Leopard)
  • NA Nk Deepak Kumar, VrC (Posthumous), 16 BIHAR, (Op Snow Leopard)

See also

References
  1. "The Bihar Regiment". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  2. "Bihar Regiment". indianarmy.nic.in. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  3. "Gazette of India No 45" (PDF). 7 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  4. "Why Bihar Regiment isn't only about soldiers from Bihar".
  5. "1857 Indian uprising to Galwan clash: How Army's Bihar Regiment demolished 'non martial' tag".
  6. "Bihar Regiment". Infantry. Official Website of Indian Army. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  7. Ernst, Waltraud; Pati, Biswamoy, eds. (28 November 2007). India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism. Routledge. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-415-41541-5. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  8. "Enfield Rifle". columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  9. pp20, The Indian Mutiny: 1857, Saul David
  10. Arnold P. Kaminsky, Roger D. Long (2011). इंडिया टुडे: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic. ABC-CLIO. p. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-313-37462-3. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  11. "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  12. John Pike. "Bihar Regiment". globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  13. "Bihar Regiment". globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  14. Sarkhar, Bhaskar (1999). Kargil War: Past, Present, and Future. ISBN 9781897829615. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  15. "After Galwan fightback, 16 Bihar moving to Col Babu's home state". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  16. Kumar, Amitava (2004). Husband Of A Fanatic. ISBN 9780143031895. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  17. Gurung, Shaurya Karanbir (12 July 2018). "Attack on Indian UN peacekeepers by Congolese rebels". economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  18. Singh, Sarbans (1993). Battle Honours of the Indian Army 1757 - 1971. New Delhi: Vision Books. p. 328. ISBN 8170941156.
  19. "History of the Regiment". Official Website of the Indian Army. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  20. "Honours and Awards, Bihar Regiment".
  21. "The Bihar Regimental Association". Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  22. "Lt Col Shanti Swarup Rana". Indian Martyr. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
  23. "Major Saravanan Memorial Trust". Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  24. Staff Reporter (9 April 2010). "Surrendered ultras get training certificates". The Assam Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
  25. "Vir Chakra (VrC), Awardee: Maj Harpal Singh Grewal, VrC @ TWDI". twdi.in. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  26. "Vir Chakra (VrC), Awardee: PA Nk Ghama Oraon, VrC @ TWDI". www.twdi.in. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  27. "SHATRUGHAN SINGH | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
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