Bihar Regiment


The Bihar Regiment is an Indian Army infantry regiment. It traces its origins back to the British Indian Army. The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 by regularising the 11th Battalion, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment, and raising new battalions. The Bihar Regimental Centre 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 among all regiments of the Indian Army.

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. The battalion was formed by men entirely from the Bhojpur district. Later battalions recruited from the entire Shahabad area.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.
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, 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.

Composition and Recruitment

As the name suggests, Bihar Regiment only recruits from the state of old Bihar. 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 Rajputs Bhumihar, and Brahmin castes, Yadav, Dusadh, Koeri and Kurmi castes, as well as members of other tribals from Bihar and Jharkhand.

History

The Bihar Regiment was formed in 1941 during World War II by regularising the 11th 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. 2 Bihar formed part of Operation Zipper under Lieutenant Colonel 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.

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.
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.
In the Spring of 1999, Pakistani soldiers posing as Kashmiri militants crossed the Line of Control 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. 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.
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.
Units of the regiment have also served in UN Peacekeeping operations in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Deployments of units of the Bihar Regiment

Regimental Battalions:

Distinctions

Battle and theatre honours

The regiment is one of the highly decorated regiments of the Indian Army. The tally of awards till date are as under:-
Pre-Independence
Distinguished Service Order - 07
Member of the Order of the British Empire - 08
Military Cross -05
Order of British India - 06
Military Medal - 09
Post Independence
Ashoka Chakra - 09
Param Vishisht Seva Medal - 35
Maha Vir Chakra - 07
Kirti Chakra - 21
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal - 49
Vir Chakra - 49
Shaurya Chakra - 70
Yudh Seva Medal - 09
Sena Medal - 448
Jivan Rakshak Padak - 07
Vishisht Seva Medal - 42
Mention in Despatches - 45
Name of the awardees of prominent awards from the regiment are as given below:

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