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Bihar Regiment

Infantry regiment of the Indian Army From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bihar Regiment
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The Bihar Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army.[2] It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army.[3] 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.

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Bihari martial tradition

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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.[4] 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 (Arrah), Buxar, Rohtas & Kaimur in Bihar).[4] 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.[5]

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),[6] 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.[7]

Their victories at home including those of Buxar, Karnatic and Maratha Wars along with those in Malaya, Sumatra and Egypt won them laurels.[8]

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Composition and Recruitment

At raising, the class composition of the first battalion was - Adivasis from Bihar, Orissa, Bengal and eastern states, and Ahirs, Rajputs and Mussulmans from Bihar.[9] The regiment continued recruitment from the state of old Bihar (i.e. present-day Bihar and Jharkhand), along with a small number from Odisha.[10] Most units presently have two companies of troops from Bihar and parts of Uttar Pradesh, and two companies with tribals, mainly from Jharkhand and Odisha — Mundas, Santhals, Hos, Oraons and others.[3] Some units now have an all India, all class composition.[11]

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History

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The present Bihar Regiment took its initial form in 1923, when an Indian Territorial Force Battalion named the 11/19 Hyderabad Regiment was formed with its headquarters at Dinapore Cantonment. 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 first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel John Reginald Howard Tweed. The 2nd Battalion was raised in December 1942.[12][9]

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.[9][13] 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.[13]

Post Independence

Soon after independence, 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.

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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.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16]

On the night of 15 June 2020, soldiers of 16 Bihar Regiment were involved in a bloody skirmish at Galwan Valley, in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Twenty Indian soldiers were killed, including the commanding-officer of 16 Bihar Colonel B. Santosh Babu.[17] According to Russian government owned TASS news agency, the fighting resulted in death of 45 Chinese soldiers.[18] As per an American intelligence assessment the skirmish led to the death of 35 Chinese soldiers including a commanding officer.[19]

Units of the regiment have also served in UN Peacekeeping operations in Somalia (UNOSOM),[20] the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC)[21] and Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) in 1993, 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2022

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Deployments of units of the Bihar Regiment

Regimental Insignia and Traditions

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Regimental Crest
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Crest of the Bihar regiment at raising

At raising, Lieutenant Colonel JRH Tweed selected an insignia that had the words “THE BIHAR REGT” in the centre with “ASOKA SHER SHAH” in a semi-circle below. Later on, when the army headquarters asked Tweed to create an emblem for the regiment, he chose one that depicted two rivers of Bihar. The was not very popular with both the officers and the men.[22] Captain Habibullah Khan Khattak, as acting Commanding Officer, 1st Bihar Battalion (Later Major General in Pakistan Army) adopted the present crest from the three headed lions of Ashoka in 1941. In 1945, the then Governor of Bihar, Sir Thomas Rutherford when visiting 1st Bihar at Shillong was so impressed with the regimental crest, that he requested Lieutenant Colonel Khattak's permission to adopt the emblem for the Bihar Government. The Bihar Government then published gazette notification in May 1945 adopting the crest. Post Independence, the Government of India too adopted the three headed Ashoka lions as Government of India's Crest.[8]

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Subedar Major from Bihar Regiment
Uniform

The present uniform of the Bihar Regiment includes a red and green lanyard on the left shoulder and the shoulder title Bihar (brass / green letters over scarlet background). The green beret (common to all infantry units in India) has the regimental crest on a scarlet oval base stitched to the beret. The regimental turban is worn by personnel during ceremonial occasions, parades, on guard duty and by those in the regimental band.

Regimental Motto

In 1974, a decision was taken to formalise the motto of the Regiment as ‘Karm Hi Dharm’, which means ‘Work is Worship’. The decision was soon approved and published in Army Order No. 347/74.[12]

War Cries

The Bihar Regiment traditionally uses two powerful war cries[23][24]-

  • Jai Bajrang Bali ("Victory to Bajrang Bali"—a name for Lord Hanuman)
  • Birsa Munda Ki Jai ("Victory to Birsa Munda"—a revered tribal leader and folk hero)
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Bihar Regimental Centre (BRC)

The regimental centre was established on 1 November 1945, by Lieutenant Colonel RC Muller at Agra, following the conversion of the Regimental Centre of the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. In April 1946, it relocated to Ranchi, and later that year, in November, moved to Gaya. Finally, in March 1949, it found its permanent home in Danapur, where it remains to this day.[25][26]

Units

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Affiliations

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Affiliation of INS Vikramaditya with the Bihar Regiment and No. 6 Squadron, Indian Air Force

INS Vikramaditya, the Indian Navy's largest ship and one of its two aircraft carriers was affiliated to the Bihar Regiment in January 2018.[53]

Decorations

Theatre Honours

(i)Burma1942-45
(ii)East Pakistan1971
(iii)Kargil1999

Battle Honours

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The Chief of Army Staff, General Dalbir Singh presenting the President’s Colours, at Bihar Regimental Centre, in Danapur on November 19, 2016.
(i)HakaBurma Campaign, World War II
(ii)GangawBurma Campaign, World War II
(iii)AkhauraIndo-Pakistani war of 1971
(iv)BatalikKargil War 1999

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Unit Citation

The following units were awarded the COAS unit citation[12]-

(i)1 BIHAR1999
(ii)2 BIHAR2015, 2025
(iii)5 BIHAR2004
(iv)8 BIHAR1998, 2020
(v)10 BIHAR1994, 2024
(vi)11 BIHAR2020
(vii)14 BIHAR1992, 2018
(viii)17 BIHAR1998
(ix)24 RR2013
(x)47 RR2018

Gallantry awards

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The regiment is one of the highly decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The tally of awards, with prominent awardees till date are as under:[54]-

Pre independence
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References

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