The Sikh Regiment

S Bajwa · Post by **S Bajwa** » 07 Aug 1999 22:45

Sikh Regiment: Where valour is a tradition By Prabhjot Singh REMEMBER the Battle of Saragarhi when Havildar Ishar Singh with 21 Other Ranks (ORs) made the supreme sacrifice while repulsing an attack by more than 10,000 Afridi tribesmen in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), now in Pakistan? The British Parliament had then arisen as one man to pay its respect to these gallant Sikh soldiers. Now, more than 102 years later, the entire nation has risen again. This time to acknowledge the triumph of the Sikhs at Helmet and India Gate ( Tiger Hill features) in the Kargil sector. Valour is the second name of the Sikh Regiment. It has a long and distinguished history. It continues to be the highest decorated regiment in the Indian Army with 73 battle honours and 38 theatre honours. The regiment also enjoys the distinction of having in its fold the highest decorated "Battalion of Commonwealth"--- the 1 Sikh --- and the highest decorated soldier, Naik Nand Singh, who has the Mahavir Chakra and the Victoria Cross pinned to his chest. Moreover, the regiment has, in the post-Independence era, won two Param Vir Chakras, two Ashok Chakras, two Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 14 Mahavir Chakras, 5 Kirti Chakras, one Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, 10 Ati Vishisht Seva Medals, 64 Vir Chakras, 22 Shaurya Chakras, 104 Sena Medals and 31 Vishisht Seva Medals --- a total of 1596 gallantry awards. Though the official history of the regiment dates back to 1846, its biological heritage has its roots in the teachings and sacrifices made by the Sikh Gurus. Imbibing the culture and chivalry of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's erstwhile Khalsa Army, the ethos and traditions of the regiment got formalised with the ' Regiment of Ferozepore Sikhs' and 'Regiment of Ludhiana Sikhs' on August 1,1846, through Capt G. Tebbs and Lieutenant Colonel P. Gordon, respectively. And when men and officers from two of the battalions of this regiment --- 8 Sikh and 14 Sikh -- were inducted into Kargil operations, they lived up to their rich martial tradition of self- sacrifice. One had to be in Kargil to understand the inhospitable terrain where men from Indian infantry made history. The enemy -- Mujahideens and Pakistan Army regulars -- had occupied all the ridges or features. Unlike the picturesque hill stations of Shimla, Darjeeling, Manali or Chail, the higher reaches, peaks or features along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil, are not gentle tree and shrub peaks but jagged rocks of granite and basalt found at this end of the Tibetan plateau. These are some of the oldest and hardest rocks in the world. Devoid of even a blade of grass, most of these ridges have razor-sharp edges. The southern rock face is often a sheer cliff. The more accessible slopes have a 70 degree incline. The ridges are also narrow and a single machine gun is good enough to neutralise a 10 to one advantage in manpower at the ground level. From the positions that the intruders had occupied, they appeared to be "undefeatable". It was on May 14 that 8 Sikh was assigned the task of recapturing Tiger Hill. The information given or gathered was scanty. It was believed that only a few Mujahideens were holding the feature. As the assault began in the shape of an initial probing action along the southern approach, intense fire, both direct and indirect, was opened by the enemy. Undeterred by the fire, Subedar Joginder Singh and his platoon continued its march forward and successfully reached the base of the spur leading to the Tiger Hill top. Subedar Joginder Singh, who alongwith Lance Naik Ranjit Singh spearheaded the retaliatory fire, made the supreme sacrifice. The crucial foothold gained by the Subedar proved critical in the ultimate capture of the Tiger Hill. The quantum of fire of the enemy proved beyond doubt that it was in strength and well-fortified at the Tiger Hill. The Hill complex comprises Tiger Hill (top), Eastern Spur, Western Spur, India Gate, Rocky Knob and Helmet. The Army had planned to isolate Tiger Hill before capturing it. This was achieved by 8 Sikh by May 21 after dare-devil actions by Sepoys Rashwinder Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh in occupying key heights to neutralise enemy fire. In utter disregard to their personal safety, these gallant men succeeded in occupying key positions. Between May 31 and July 2, the men and officers of this battalion continued to cause heavy damage to the enemy by both direct and indirect fire and continued their progress forward so as to close in on the enemy. Each night, they would burrow through the snow, create a crawl trench and set up a new post -- moving towards the peak slowly but steadily. Unmindful of the extremely harsh weather conditions, with rain, sleet and snow coming upon them along with the enemy fire everyday, the brave soldiers dared their enemy to show up and get ready for their final "kalma". A number of casualties were inflicted. The assault party lost Lieutenant Kanad Bhatta-charya in a brave patrolling encounter. In all, 10 jawans were killed and 48 others were wounded. These casualties notwithstanding, they closed on and isolated Tiger Hill from three directions. It was imperative that the Western Spur was also captured to bottle up the intruders at Tiger Hill top. Major Ravinder Singh and Lieutenant Sehrawat accompanied by four JCOs and 52 ORs took up the challenging assignment of capturing the Western Spur. It was on the night of July 4/5 that this group of gallant soldiers of 8 Sikh left amidst the war cries of Bole so Nihal to capture Rohino Horn, Rocky Knob, Helmet and India Gate. These positions had been heavily fortified and were dominated by the enemy from Tiger Hill on the east and Trig Heights on the west. The task was challenging as the approach was from a slope with a 75 to 80 degree gradient. For the marjivre Sikhs, the extremely bad weather and the steep gradient hardly mattered. Subedar Nirmal Singh, Naib Subedar Karnail Singh and Naib Subedar Ravail Singh established a firm base. Lieutenant RKSehrawat was to coordinate the assault by three teams. By midnight, all the three teams were suitably poised for the capture of India Gate, Helmet and Rocky Knob. As the war cries of Bole So Nihal, Sat Siri Akal rent the air, the men got going and all hell broke loose. Intense enemy shelling and direct firing opened up. A "cock fight" ensued during which bunkers were cleared one after another. By 4 am, India Gate and Helmet had been captured. The attacking troops, in the meanwhile, had firmed up defences in an area 700 metres by 500 metres. Construction of protective sangars was immediately taken up. Apprehending a violent retaliation from the enemy, all preparations for repulsing any attack were made. In fact, two major attacks were repulsed in which Major Iqbal of SSG and Capt Karnal Sher of 12 NLI were killed along with 30 others. Three JCOs - Sub Nirmal Singh and Karnail Singh and Naib Subedar Rawail Singh - and 18 ORs made the supreme sacrifice. The wounded included Major Ravinder Singh and Lieutenant Sherawat besides 18 ORs. The capture and defence of the Western Spur facilitated the capture of Tiger Hill top on July 7. The unit lost a total of 35 men. About 70 werewounded -- a high price. But by sheer grit , 8 Sikh won the day at Tiger Hill. After 8 Sikh had accomplished its task in the high traditions of the regiment, it was the turn of 14 Sikh, the youngest of the Sikh battalions, to teach another lesson to the enemy. On May 27 the battalion was airlifted to Leh. The advance party led by Major Rohit Sehgal had already been moved to Channigund to contain the enemy’s intrusion in Kaksar area. This party occupied a defensive locality to prevent any further intrusion into the sensitive Batalik sector and provide a firm base for offensive operations which were to follow. On May 27, the enemy brought down effective and intense fire on this defensive location. To neutralise enemy fire, Sepoy Buta Singh, in an act of exemplary courage and bravery, moved the Medium Machine Gun to an advantageous postion and brought effective fire on the enemy for about four hours. The enemy concentrated its fire to neutralise effective MMG fire. Sepoy Buta Singh, hit by small arms fire of the enemy, continued to operate his MMG till he breathed his last and prevented the enemy from capturing the Company defended locality. Immediately on arrival at Leh, 14 Sikh dispatched a Company column to Chorbatla to strengthen the lightly held position there. The Company moved to Hanuthang and on to Handanbrok covering 22 km at an altitude exceeding 15,000 feet. This was a feat in itself and reflected the physical and mental robustness of the brave Sikh soldiers. On June 7, the balance of 14 Sikh was given the responsibility of Chorbatla. It moved and occupied the commanding heights along the Line of Control. The enemy activity in the sector was at a somewhat low key. Naib Subedar Jasbir Singh, in an exemplary effort, established a Section Post at point 5620 (approx. 19,000 ft). His drive and enterprise secured the eastern flank of Chorbatla. Subsequently, the enemy was totally dominated.

S Bajwa · Post by **S Bajwa** » 07 Aug 1999 23:16

Sorry! That is taken from <A HREF="http://www.tribuneindia.com" TARGET=_blank>www.tribuneindia.com</A> Saturday section. (The Tribune is a newspaper published from Chandigarh)Sandeep S Bajwa

dsandhu · Post by **dsandhu** » 08 Aug 1999 01:05

Sbajwa Good post. But the writer Prabhjot Singh needs to be corrected in the PVSM, AVSM VSM are not gallantry awards they are servuce awards. Most of the gallantry awards end in chakras.

S Bajwa · Post by **S Bajwa** » 08 Aug 1999 07:08

Sat Sri Akal Kavir,Sikh are not only sentimental but very emotional about their motherland and their culture. Guru Gobind Singh gave Sikhs such courage to fight that even today when I hear Gurus' poem! My blood boils!! I have never seen any other person who is such a good poet!! Guru Gobind Singh's poem are enough for me to lay down my life for my country!!! Each word of Guru Gobind Singh in his poems is unparalled with anyone!! AMAZING! I can only wish that other Indians knew Punjabi so that can hear Guru Gobind Singh and save their country!!Wahh wahh gur Gobind Singh aape Gur chela!!(GReat GURU GOBIND SINGH! himself guru and chela!)Sandeep Singh Bajwa

S Bajwa · Post by **S Bajwa** » 08 Aug 1999 08:12

Here is biography of Shaheed Udham Singh from <A HREF="http://www.sikh-history.com" TARGET=_blank>www.sikh-history.com</A> website!! Hope you like it!!Udham Singh was a militant nationalist, was born Sher Singh on 26 December 1899, at Sunam, in the then princely state of Patiala. His father, Tahal Singh, was at that time working as a watchman on a railway crossing in the neighbouring village of Upall. Sher Singh lost his parents before he was seven years and was admitted along with his brother Mukta Singh to the Central Khalsa Orphanage at Amritsar on 24 October 1907. As both brothers were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at the Orphanage, they received new names, Sher Singh becoming Udham Singh and Mukta Singh Sadhu Singh. In 1917, Udham Singh's brother also died, leaving him alone in the world. Udham Singh left the Orphanage after passing the matriculation examination in 1918. He was present in the Jallianvala Bag on the fateful Baisakhi day, 13 April 1919, when a peaceful assembly of people was fired upon by General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, killing over one thousand people. The event which Udham Singh used to recall with anger and sorrow, turned him to the path of revolution. Soon after, he left India and went to the United States of America. He felt thrilled to learn about the militant activities of the Babar Akalis in the early 1920's, and returned home. He had secretly brought with him some revolvers and was arrested by the police in Amritsar, and sentenced to four years imprisonment under the Arms Act. On release in 1931, he returned to his native Sunam, but harassed by the local police, he once again returned to Amritsar and opened a shop as a signboard painter, assuming the name of Ram Muhammad Singh Azad. This name, which he was to use later in England, was adopted to emphasize the unity of all the religious communities in India in their struggle for political- freedom. Udham Singh was deeply influenced by the activities of Bhagat Singh and his revolutionary group. In 1935, when he was on a visit to Kashmlr, he was found carrying Bhagat Singh's portrait. He invariably referred to him as his guru. He loved to sing political songs, and was very fond of Ram Prasad Bismal, who was the leading poet of the revolutionaries. After staying for some months in Kashmlr, Udham Singh left India. He wandered about the continent for some time, and reached England by the mid-thirties. He was on the lookout for an opportunity to avenge the Jalliavala Bagh tragedy. The long-waited moment at last came on 13 March 1940. On that day, at 4.30 p.m. in the Caxton Hall, London, where a meeting of the East India Association was being held in conjunction with the Royal Central Asian Society, Udham Singh fired five to six shots from his pistol at Sir Michael O'Dwyer, who was governor of the Punjab when the Amritsar massacre had taken place. O'Dwyer was hit twice and fell to the ground dead and Lord Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, who was presiding over the meeting was injured. Udham Singh was overpowered with a smoking revolver. He in fact made no attempt to escape and continued saying that he had done his duty by his country. On 1 April 1940, Udham Singh was formally charged with the murder of Sir Michael O'Dwyer. On 4 June 1940, he was committed to trial, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson, who sentenced him to death. An appeal was filed on his behalf which was dismissed on 15 July 1940. On 31 July 1940, Udham Sin*gh was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London. Udham Singh was essentially a man of action and save his statement before the judge at his trial, there was no writing from his pen available to historians. Recently, letters written by him to Shiv Singh Jauhal during his days in prison after the shooting of Sir Michael O'Dwyer have been discovered and published. These letters show him as a man of great courage, with a sense of humour. He called himself a guest of His Majesty King George, and he looked upon death as a bride he was going to wed. By remaining cheerful to the last and going joyfully to the gallows, he followed the example of Bhagat Singh who had been his beau ideal. During the trial, Udham Singh had made a request that his ashes be sent back to his country, but this was not allowed. In 1975, however, the Government of India, at the instance of the Punjab Government, finally succeeded in bringing his ashes home. Lakhs of people gathered on the occasion to pay homage to his memory. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Grewal, J.S. and Puri, H.K., eds., Letters of Udham Singh. Amritsar, 1974 2. Fauja Singh, Eminent Freedom Fighters of Punjab. Patiala, 1972 3. Nahar Singh, Giani, Azadi dian Lahiran. Ludhiana, 1960

Pathmarajah · Post by **Pathmarajah** » 08 Aug 1999 20:33

All Hail the Sikhs, all hail the Khalsa.Satnam sri vaheguru!

dsandhu · Post by **dsandhu** » 09 Aug 1999 02:31

During the Kargi Operations Pioneer (the newspaper) had a series of article on some of the Indian regiments. I think Rupak had a thread going some times back and it would be a good reference point if the webmasters could gather the old articles and this about the Sikh Regiment and archive it in one place. This is ofcourse after all the comments have ben written on this thread. Couple of years back at some ones house I read an article in the National Geographical about the Sikhs and in which the author of the article had visted the Sikh Regimental at Merrut ( yes the regimental center was at Merrut before Ramgarh) and he had an interview with the Regimental commander and I remember that the commander saying that the Sikh Regiment has the highest number of Victoria crosses, Indian Order of Merit and Param Vir Chakra equivalents of any Indian regiment and also the regiment is considered as one of the most decorated regiments in the world. JAI HIND

mohankk · Post by **mohankk** » 09 Aug 1999 04:59

Thank you SBajwa. It was very inspiring and the article should be a compulsory reading material for all Indian school children. If this sort of patriotism is instilled in our children - the days are not far when India can -not only defend its borders successfully - but it will carry the nation into the first world in the near future. Mohan

S Bajwa · Post by **S Bajwa** » 09 Aug 1999 06:08

Thanks for the comments!!Mr. Patel,Mr. Gurbachan Singh Salaria was not a Sikh but a Rajput from Western U.P. and a great Soldier indeed!!Best Regards,Sandeep Singh Bajwa

dsandhu · Post by **dsandhu** » 10 Aug 1999 00:12

Patel Thanks for the info.What the article meant was the number of medals won by the officers and jawans of the Sikh Regiment and just not Sikhs alone. There are many non sikhs who have won gallantry awards while serving with the Sikh Regiment. Couple of them that come to mind are: Capt. Mahabir Prasad MVC (Post.) 1 Sikh Reg. 1962 war Lt. Haripal Kaushak VrC 1 Sikh Reg. 1962 war. Haripal Kaushak is a famous hockey player. He represented India in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.AS you well know its is the Indian Army tradition that the regiment counts first and foremost. JAI Hind

S Bajwa · Post by **S Bajwa** » 10 Aug 1999 19:14

Guru Gobind Singh was a self made man. His father Guru Tegh Bahadur ji were martyred by Mughals when he was only 9 years old. Guru Gobind Singh spent next 10 years (after martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur) for his education (he learned, Sanskrit, Braj Bhasha, Farsi, Punjabi, etc), and acquiring the traits of becoming a leader.Undoubtly one of his greatest quality was to pen down poems in Veer Ras. This type of poetry gets you ready to fight. He wrote this couplet in Farsi."Choon kar aj hama heelte Dar Gujasht, Ast burdan halal ba Shamsheer Dast"which means"when all modes of addressing the wrong having failed, raising of sword is pious and just"I will try to collect other poems and post them here!ThanksSandeep

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