Jat Regiment
| Jat Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Regimental Insignia of The Jat Regiment | |
| Active | 1795 – present[1] |
| Country |  British India (1795–1947) India (1947–present) |
| Allegiance | India |
| Branch |  British Indian Army (1795–1947) Indian Army (1947–present) |
| Type | Line Infantry |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | 31 Battalions 25 Regular Infantry Battalions 4 Rashtriya Rifles Battalions (5 RR, 34 RR, 45 RR and 61 RR) and 2 Territorial Army Battalions (114 TA Bns and 151 TA Bns) |
| Regimental Centre | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh |
| Motto(s) | Sangathan Va Veerta (Unity And Valour) |
| War Cry | जाट बलवान, जय भगवान (IAST:Jāt Balwān, Jai Bhagwān) (The Jat is powerful, Victory to the Lord!) |
| Anniversaries | 20 Nov |
| Decorations | 3  Ashoka Chakra2  Victoria cross 2  George Cross24 (19 Battle Honours between 1839 and 1947)  13  Kirti Chakra8  Maha Vir Chakra3  Military Medal53  Shaurya Chakra39  Vir Chakra343  Sena Medal |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Major General Rajesh Sethi, SM, VSM |
| Insignia | |
| Regimental Insignia | The insignia has a bugle indicating the Light Infantry antecedents of two of its battalions. |
The Jat Regiment also known as The Royal Jats is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving and most decorated regiments.[2] The regiment has won 19 Battle Honours between 1839 and 1947,[3] and post-independence it has won Five Battle Honours, including 3 Ashok Chakra, 2 Victoria Cross, 2 George Cross, 13 Kirti Chakra, 8 Mahavir Chakra, 3 Military Medal, 53 Shaurya Chakras, 39 Vir Chakras and 343 Sena Medals.[2][4] 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.[5]
History
[edit]
The Regiment claims its origins from the Calcutta Native Militia that was raised in 1795,[6] which later became an infantry battalion of the Bengal Army. The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers was formed in 1857.[6] 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.[citation needed]
The 1st Battalion was raised as the 22nd Bengal Native Infantry in 1803.[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.[citation needed]
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Battle cry
[edit]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!).[7]
Composition and recruitment
[edit]Soldiers of the Jat Regiment are recruited 89% from the Hindu Jat community of Northern India and rest from Sikh Jats and other castes of North India.[8][9][10]
Battalions
[edit]Jat Regiment having a size of 27 Battalions in Indian Army. Numerous battalions of the Jat Regiment, including the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, fought in the First World War.
- 21 Regular infantry battalions
- 4 Rashtriya Rifles battalions (5 RR, 34 RR, 45 RR and 61 RR)
- 2 Territorial Army battalions (114 and 151)
Regimental battalions
[edit]
The Jat regiment has 25 regular battalions, 4 Rastriya Rifles battalions and 2 territorial army battalions, as of August 2020.[11][12]
| 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 October 1817 | former 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment) |
| 3 Jat | Dinapur | 23 June 1823 | Former 10th Jats; Battle of Dograi |
| 4 Jat | Bareilly | 15 January 1962 | Re-raising; Saviours of Fazilka |
| 5 Jat | Varanasi | 1 February 1941 | Phillora Captors |
| 6 Jat | Bareilly | 1 February 1941 | |
| 7 Jat | Bareilly | 15 November 1962 | Re-raising, former 11th Jat |
| 8 Jat | Jabalpur | 14 December 1941 | |
| 9 Jat | Bareilly | 1 January 1963 | Re-raising |
| 11 Jat | Bareilly | 1 April 1964 | |
| 12 Jat | Bareilly | 6 February 1970 | |
| 14 Jat | Bareilly | 1 October 1963 | |
| 15 Jat | Bareilly | 15 May 1976 | Re-raising |
| 16 Jat | Bareilly | 1 October 1964 | |
| 17 Jat | Jabalpur | 1 June 1966 | Kargil |
| 18 Jat | Secunderabad | 1 October 1966 | |
| 19 Jat | Bareilly | 1 August 1980 | |
| 20 Jat | Bareilly | 27 February 1985 | |
| 21 Jat | Bareilly | 1 November 1987 | |
| 22 Jat | Bareilly | 1 December 2013 | Jaguars |
| 23 Jat | Bareilly | 1 July 2016 | |
| 24 Jat | Bareilly | 1 September 2020 | |
| 5 Rashtriya Rifles | Ranikhet | 15 October 1990 | |
| 34 Rashtriya Rifles | Bareilly | 1 September 1994 | Bravest of the Brave |
| 45 Rashtriya Rifles | Bareilly | 1 August 2001 | |
| 61 Rashtriya Rifles | Bareilly | 30 June 2004 | |
| 114 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) | Dehradun | 1 October 1960 | |
| 151 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) | Muzaffarpur | 18 January 2002 |
Gallantry awards
[edit]Battle honours
[edit]Pre-1947
[edit]- 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
[edit]- Zoji La & Rajauri, 1947
- Jammu and Kashmir 1947–48
- Phillora & Dograi 1965
- Jammu and Kashmir & East Pakistan 1971
Unit citations
[edit]When a unit is decorated for counter-insurgency operations, unit citations are given instead of battle or theatre honours.
- 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
[edit]- Risaldar Badlu Singh, 14th Murray's Jat Lancers attached to 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse), Palestine 1918.[14][15]
- Havildar Abdul Hafiz, 9th Jat Regiment, Imphal 1944.[14]
George Cross
[edit]- Lance Naik Islam-ud-Din, 9th Jat Regiment, Burma 1945[16]
- Havildar Abdul Rahman, 9th Jat Regiment, Java 1946[17]
Maha Vir Chakra
[edit]- 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
- Maj. Ajit Singh, 5 Jat, Indo-China 1962
- Capt. Anuj Nayyar, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Capt. Kapil Singh Thapa, 3 Jat, 1965[19]
- Havildar Fateh Singh, 3 Jat, J&K 1948
- Naik Sis Pal, 2 jat, J&K 1948
Vir Chakra
[edit]- Brig. Umesh Singh Bawa, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Lt. Col Raj Kumar Suri, 4 Jat, 1971 war[20]
- Maj. Sukhpal Singh, 4 Jat, 1971 war [21]
- Maj. Harish Chandra Sharma, 4 Jat 1971 war[22]
- Maj. Narain Singh, 4 Jat 1971 war[23]
- Maj. Deepak Rampal, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Havildar Kumar Singh Sogarwal, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Havildar Shish Ram Gill, 8 Jat, Kargil 1999
- Lance Havildar Ganga Dhar, 4 JAT, 1971 [24]
- Sep Dharajit Singh Chahar, 4 Jat, 1988
- Sub (later Capt.) Pahlad Singh, 2 Jat, 1971 war
- Sub Brijendra Singh, 4 Jat, 1971 war[26]
Ashok Chakra
[edit]- Col Jojan Thomas, 45 Rashtriya Rifles[27]
- Maj Dinesh Raghu Raman, 34 Rashtriya Rifles, PU 19 Jat,[28]
- Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, 34 Rashtriya Rifles
Others
[edit]
- The Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar – 2010 (Organisation Category) was awarded to 21st Battalion, the Jat Regiment.[29]
- The launch of the 'Maujiram helpline' by the Jat Regiment Centre in June 2013.[30]
Battles fought
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2019) |
- 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.[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.[31] 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed][33]
See also
[edit]- Dominance of Jats in military
- Dev Samhita
- 20th Lancers
- 9th Jat Regiment
- List of regiments of the Indian Army
References
[edit]- ^ Army's Jat Regiment Best Marching Contingent in Republic Day 2007 and 2021 Parade | India Defence Archived 2 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b 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)". Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2011..
- ^ Cornwell, Richard (28 February 2012). "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. 6 (4). doi:10.5787/6-4-845. ISSN 2224-0020.
- ^ The Times History of the War: The Battlefield of Europe. Woodward & Van Slyke
- ^ a b "The valiant Jat soldier – The Tribute". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ Raghavan, V.R. (1997). Infantry in India. India: Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 8125904840.
- ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army". www.indianarmy.nic.in. 1 January 1980. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
- ^ Sachdeva, Sujata Dutta (6 November 2005). "SUNDAY DEBATE: Should there be reservation in the Indian Army?". Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017.
It recruits under two broad categories. The first comprises various regiments such as the Jat, Sikh, Garhwal and Kumaon Regiment. These are made up of soldiers with a similar background. For example, the Jat Regiment recruits only Jats, the Garhwal Regiment recruits only Garhwalis and so on.
- ^ Mohan, Vijay (6 July 2016). "Jat Regiment raises new battalion". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020.
The Jat Regiment, which draws its manpower primarily from the state of Haryana and its adjoining areas, ...
- ^ "REGIMENTAL HISTORY". Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "24th battalion of Jat Regiment to be raised in Bareilly". The Times of India. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ "Official Website of Indian Army". Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ a b "We Were There – Medals and Awards – Victoria Cross Winners". Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2008.
- ^ Risaldar Badlu Singh, VC Archived 11 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "No. 37294". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 October 1945. pp. 4889–1898.
- ^ "No. 37717". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 September 1946. p. 4507.
- ^ "The Official Home Page of the Indian Army".
- ^ "Captain Kapil Singh Thapa MVC | Honourpoint". 21 September 1965.
- ^ "RAJ KUMAR SURI | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India".
- ^ "HARISH CHANDRA SHARMA | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019.
- ^ "NARAIN SINGH | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Gallantry Awards | Ministry of Defence, Government of India".
- ^ "DHARAJIT SINGH CHAHAR | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019.
- ^ "1971 war veteran felicitated".
- ^ "JOJAN THOMAS | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017.
- ^ "DINESH RAGHU RAMAN | Gallantry Awards". gallantryawards.gov.in. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019.
- ^ Press Trust of India (19 February 2014). "Jat Regiment's battalion gets environment award". Business Standard India. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "National helpline for soldiers, Army widows | India News". The Times of India. 2 February 2014.
- ^ Dalrymple (2013), pp. 444–445
- ^ "New Pakistan army chief's brother died in 1971 Battle of Majors in Fazilka". Indian Express. 1 December 2013.
- ^ "India Military Guide".
Further reading
[edit]- 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.
