Sikh Regiment

The Sikh Regiment is a 19 battalion strong, infantry regiment of the Indian Army, drawing a bulk of its recruits from the Sikh community. The first battalion of the regiment was officially raised just before the annexation of the Sikh Empire on August 1, 1846, by the British Empire. It is currently one of the highest decorated regiments in the Indian Army and was at one stage one of the highest decorated regiments in the British Empire. The Sikh Regimental Centre is located in Ramgarh Cantonment, 30 km from Ranchi, which is the capital of the state of Jharkhand in India. The Centre was earlier located in Meerut in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The modern Sikh Regiment traces its roots directly from the 11th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army. When transferred to the Indian Army like its sister regiments, the numeral prefix (in the case of the Sikh Regiment, 11) was removed and extra battalions were raised, transferred or disbanded to meet army needs. With a humble beginning of two battalions, today the fraternity has grown to a regiment of 19 regular infantry and two reserve battalions strong. Enlisted soldiers are strictly recruited from the Sikh community and trained internally by the regiment, in which they tend to spend most of their careers. While officers are trained externally from either IMA, or NDA and tend to leave the regiment subject to promotion, officers assigned to the Sikh Regiment are drawn from all regions and areas of India. The war cry of regiment, taken from Sikh scriptures is:  'Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal' ('whoever utters (the phrase following) shall be happy(fulfilled), true is the Holy God').

Pre-Independence
The history of the Sikh Regiment ties closely with the Sikh people of the Punjab. Sikhism was created in the state of Punjab and throughout the creation of the religion Punjab was seen as a junction of cultural and religious influence from the Arabic West and the Mathra east, hence the lands of Punjab were wrestled by both spheres of influence either by sublime cultural influence or by force of arms. By the fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev, Punjabi culture was recognised as a third juncture and independent Punjabi culture flourished with the new religion, as such Punjabis following Sikhism were targeted as a potential rival of Islamic influence. As followers of Sikhism were targeted for religious beliefs, Sikhs were encouraged to maintain a degree of martial tenants. As Islamic persecution of Sikhs, Hinduism increased, Sikhism became more militant coining the theory "saint-soldier" in which Sikhism maintained its martial tenants. With the dissolution of Sikh Gurus, the Sikhs leaderless were broken into smaller confederacies which were more akin to fighting amongst themselves and only uniting under Dal Khalsa to fight external threats. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a Sikh, unified the confederacies and formed "Khalsa Army". Numerous heroic and valiant battles were fought by the Khalsa Army, including wars with Mughals, Afghan-Sikh wars and Anglo-Sikh wars. The Maharaja's Sikh Empire was annexed by the Second Anglo-Sikh war. The Sikh Regiment came into existence on August 1, 1846, with the raising of Regiment of Ferozepore Sikhs and Regiment of Ludhiana Sikhs by Captain G. Tebbs and Lieutenant Colonel P. Gordon respectively and were used in great effect in the 1857 Indian Rebellion. The outcomes were extremely beneficial for the Sikhs, as their loyalty and fighting tenacity made them the backbone of recruitment for the British Indian Army, which were previously recruited from South Indian regions. In this campaign the Sikhs were awarded their first two battle honours for operations conducted at the siege of Lucknow and the defence of Arrah. In addition the Sikh Regiment were awarded a one rank seniority over other Indian Sepoys and awarded the authorisation to wear the converted red turban (which is still worn by the regiment today) opposed to the standard blue head dress worn by British Indian Army Units at the time.

Battle of Saragarhi Piquet
In September 1897, 4 Sikh was deployed in Khanki valley on Samana ridge in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan. At that time, 4 Sikh was known as XXXVI Sikh of the British Indian Army. The battalion, deployed in two groups, occupied Fort Lockhart with picquets at Dar, Sartope, Sangar, Carg and Saragarhi. Among all the piquets, Saragarhi was the most important, due to its position on the highest point between Fort Lockhart and Gulistan. Twenty one soldiers, under the command of Hav Ishar Singh, held the Saragarhi piquet.

To separate Fort Gulistan and Lockhart, 10000 Orakzai and Afridi Lashkars attacked Saragarhi on September 12, 1897 at daybreak. The attack was initially repelled with the enemy sustaining a loss of over 60 men. Lt. Col J Haughton, the then Commanding Officer, made all efforts to hold Saragarhi. However, the battalion was forced to retreat initially as the enemy repeatedly attacked Saragarhi. The Sikhs did not move back from the fort. One Sepoy took control of the guardroom and shot not less than 20 enemies, before tribesmen set the guardroom on fire and burnt him to death. By about 3 p.m., men and ammunition ran short and the assailants destroyed the battalion post by setting it on fire. The Sikhs killed 450 tribesmen before making the supreme sacrifice.

On receiving the news, the British Parliament interrupted its proceedings and gave standing ovation to the men of Saragarhi. Each hero was awarded an Indian Order of Merit (IOM), the highest award given to an Indian soldier in British Indian Army for valour and sacrifice. Altogether, a record 21 IOMs were awarded that day. The battle of Saragarhi gave the concept of "last man, last round". Now, September 12 is celebrated as "Saragarhi Day" by all the battalions of the elite Sikh Regiment. UNESCO recognises this battle as one among eight battles of the world known for collective bravery.

World Wars
The Sikh Regiment was further used as a unit for the British Empire being used to garrison India internally, protect Indian frontiers (such as the North-West Frontier Province) and to serve in overseas deployments such as operations in Hong Kong. By 1914 Sikh Regiments were deployed as part of the British Indian Army for operations in World War I. The Regiment served in all theatres of operations and earned 28 battle honours.

In both the World Wars 83,005 turban-wearing Sikh soldiers were killed and 109,045 were wounded while fighting across 3 continents.

In the years to 1945, 14 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Sikhs, a per capita record given the size of the Sikh Regiments. In 2002, the names of all Sikh VC and George Cross winners were inscribed on the pavilion monument of the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill next to Buckingham Palace, London.

A total of 40 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Indian soldiers including those who hailed from the present day Pakistan.

Post-Independence
Sikhs make up 25% of all ranks in the Indian Army and 30% of its officers, whilst Sikhs only forming 2% of the Indian population, which makes them over 10 times more likely to be a soldier and officer in the Indian Army than the average Indian. The Sikh Regiment is one of the highest decorated regiment of the Indian Army, with 73 Battle Honours, 14 Victoria Crosses, 21 first class Indian Order of Merit (equivalent to the Victoria Cross), 15 Theatre Honours and 5 COAS Unit Citations besides 2 Param Vir Chakras, 14 Maha Vir Chakras, 5 Kirti Chakras, 67 Vir Chakras and 1596 other gallantry awards.
 * The highest-ranking General in the history of the Indian Air Force is a Sikh Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh
 * The only IAF Param vir chakra awardee is Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon
 * Subedar Nand Singh was a VC and MVC recipient.

General Joginder Jaswant Singh(born 17 September 1945) was the first Sikh chief of army staff of India. He served as chief of army staff from January 31, 2005, to September 30, 2007. He was named 22nd chief of army staff on November 27, 2004, and took over the role when his predecessor, General N C Vij, retired on 31 January 2005. He was succeeded by General Deepak Kapoor. He is the first Sikh to have led the Indian Army and the 11th chief of army staff from the Western Command based at Chandigarh. His selection was not a surprise, as at the time of his appointment he was the most senior officer in the army after General Vij.He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the 9 Maratha Light Infantry on 2 August 1964. Following his retirement, he became governor of the state of Arunachal Pradesh in January 2008.

Fallen and injured as part of The British Indian Army
In the last two World Wars 83,005 Sikh soldiers were killed and 109,045 were wounded while fighting across 3 continents.

In the years to 1945, 14 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the Sikhs, a per capita record given the size of the Sikh Regiments. In 2002, the names of all Sikh VC and George Cross winners were inscribed on the pavilion monument of the Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill next to Buckingham Palace, London.

Units
Others
 * 2nd Battalion
 * 3rd Battalion
 * 4th Battalion
 * 5th Battalion
 * 6th Battalion
 * 7th Battalion
 * 8th Battalion
 * 10th Battalion
 * 11th Battalion
 * 12th Battalion
 * 13th Battalion
 * 14th Battalion
 * 16th Battalion
 * 17th Battalion
 * 18th Battalion
 * 19th Battalion
 * 20th Battalion
 * 21st Battalion
 * 22nd Battalion
 * 124 Infantry Bn Territorial Army (Sikh)
 * 152 Infantry Bn Territorial Army (Sikh)
 * 157 Infantry Bn Territorial Army (Sikh) (Home and Hearth)
 * 1st Battalion is now 4th Mechanised Infantry.
 * 9th Battalion was disbanded in 1984

Operation Blue Star
Following Operation Blue Star, an Indian Army operation which attacked the Sikh community's most prominent shrine, some of the recruits at Ramgarh, Bihar mutinied. They shot and killed the commandant of the Sikh Regimental Center, Brigadier S.C. Puri, and wounded some other officers. They then got hold of a number of trucks and started to proceed towards Punjab, but were stopped by army men in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. A part of 9 Sikh which was in the Ganganagar area of Rajasthan also mutinied. This battalion was disbanded on April 1, 1985. Following Operation Blue Star, the then COAS, General Arun S. Vaidya, wanted to have more mixed battalions. So he passed an order that single-class battalions should begin recruiting other classes as well as their parent class. These mixed battalions came to be known as Vaidya's Battalions. The 13 Sikh was raised as Vaidya's battalion with class composition: a company each of Sikhs, Dogras, Garhwalis and South Indians. However these units were reverted to their original class composition later. General Vaidya was later assassinated by Harjinder Singh Jinda and Sukhdev Singh Sukha for the perception of his involvement in Operation Blue Star and failing to rehabilitate mutinied Sikh soldiers.

Awards and citations
The Museum of the Regimental Centre displays a record of the Sikh Regiment in four halls viz.,
 * The Religious/motivational Hall,
 * The Hall of Heritage,
 * The Regimental Glory Hall
 * The Peripheral Gallery.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) made a special instant award of "Unit Citation" to 8th Battalion, The Sikh Regiment for their meritorious and gallant performance in isolation of Tiger Hill, which facilitated the capture of Tiger Hill top and  Helmet and India Gate, features to the West of Tiger Hill top, on night 07/8 July 1999, in Dras.

During Operation Vijay 1999 during Indo-Pak Kargil War, the units of the regiment displayed sterling performance marked with exceptional valour and grit in the face of the enemy. In all, the Regiment has to its credit 1652 gallantry awards and honours including


 * 2 Param Vir Chakras
 * Lance Naik Karam Singh in 1948 during Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
 * Subedar Joginder Singh during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
 * 14 Maha Vir Chakras (MVC)
 * 68 Vir Chakras.
 * 2 Ashoka Chakras.
 * 14 Victoria Crosses
 * 21 Indian Order of Merits: from Battle of Saragarhi

In addition it has also earned:
 * 73 battle honours
 * 38 theatre honours besides five COAS Unit Citation, including
 * the one bestowed upon 8 Sikh during the 1999 Kargil episode
 * and two "Bravest of the Brave" citations.

Battle honours

 * Pre-Independence
 * Lucknow	1857-58	1 SIKH
 * Defence of Arrah	1857	3 SIKH
 * Bihar	1857	3 SIKH
 * China	1860-62	2 SIKH
 * Ali Masjid	1878	1, 3 SIKH
 * Ahmed Khel	1880	2 SIKH
 * Afghanistan	1878-79	1 SIKH
 * Afghanistan	1878-80	2, 3 SIKH
 * Kandhar	1880	2 SIKH
 * Saukin Wind	1885	2 SIKH
 * Battle of Tofrek	1885	2 SIKH
 * Manipur	1891	4 SIKH
 * Defence of Chitral	1895	1 SIKH
 * Chitral	1895	2 SIKH
 * Samana	1897	4 SIKH
 * Saragarhi/Gulistan	1897	4 SIKH
 * Punjab Frontier	1897	2, 3, 4 & 35 SIKH (SRC)
 * Malakand 	1897	3 & 35 SIKH (SRC)
 * Tirah	1897-98	2 & 4 SIKH
 * China	1900	1 SIKH
 * North-West Frontier	1908	3 SIKH


 * World War I
 * La Bassée	1914	2 & 5 SIKH
 * St-Julien	1914	2 & 5 SIKH
 * Armentières	1914-15	5 SIKH
 * Auber 	1914	2 & 5 SIKH
 * Givens	1914	4 SIKH
 * Siege of Tsingtao (China)	1914	4, 5 SIKH
 * Neuve Chapelle	1914-15	2, 3 & 5 SIKH
 * France and Flanders	1914-15	2 & 5 SIKH
 * Suez Canal	1914-15	1 SIKH
 * Festubert	1915	2 SIKH
 * Tigris	1916	3 & 5 SIKH
 * Pyres	1915	2 & 4 SIKH
 * Sari Bair	1915	1 SIKH
 * Hells	1915	1 SIKH
 * Krishna	1915	1 SIKH
 * Suva	1915	1 SIKH
 * Gallipoli	1915	1 SIKH
 * Egypt	1915	1 SIKH
 * Mesopotamia	1916-18	1,3 & 4 SIKH
 * Sharon	1918	5 SIKH
 * Palestine	1918	5 SIKH
 * Baghdad	1916-18	5 SIKH
 * Siege of Kut	1917	1,3 & 5 SIKH
 * Hai	1917	3 & 4 SIKH
 * Megiddo	1918	5 SIKH
 * Persia	1918	4 SIKH
 * Egypt	1918	2 & 3 SIKH
 * Sharot	1918	2 SIKH


 * Inter-War years


 * North West Frontier(now Khyber Pukhtunkhwa)	1918-19	35 (SRC) & 5 SIKH
 * Afghanistan	1919	2 & 35 SIKH (SRC)
 * Palestine	1921	35 (SRC) & 5 SIKH


 * Second World War
 * Agordat	1940-41	4 SIKH
 * Keren	1941	4 SIKH
 * First Battle of El Alamein	1940-43	4 SIKH
 * Omars	1941	4 SIKH
 * Kuantan	1941-42	5 SIKH
 * Niyor Kluang	1941-42	5 SIKH
 * Mersa Matruh	1941-42	2 SIKH
 * Kota Bharu	1942	5 SIKH
 * North Arakan	1942-45	1 SIKH
 * Buthidaung	1942-45	1 SIKH
 * Coriano	1943-45	2 SIKH
 * San Mariano	1943-45	2 SIKH
 * Poggio San Giovanni, Italy1943-45	2 SIKH
 * Monte Calvo (Picentini)	1943-45	4 SIKH
 * Battle of Imphal,Kangla Tongbi	1944	1 SIKH
 * Gothic Line	1943-45	4 SIKH
 * Nyaungu Bridgehead	1945	1 SIKH
 * Irrawaddy River	1945	1 SIKH
 * Shandatgyi 	1945	1 SIKH
 * Kama 	1945	1 SIKH
 * Sittang 	1945	1 SIKH
 * Post-Independence


 * Srinagar	1947	1 SIKH
 * Tithwal	1948	1 SIKH
 * Raja Picquet	1965	2 SIKH
 * Burki	1965	4 SIKH
 * Op Hill	1965	7 SIKH
 * Siramani	1971	4 SIKH
 * Defence of Poonch	1971	6 SIKH
 * Purbat Ali	1971	10 SIKH
 * Tiger Hill	1999	8 SIKH

Theatre honours

 * Pre-Independence


 * North Africa 1940-43 2 & 4 SIKH
 * Abyssinia 1940-41 4 SIKH
 * Iraq 1941 3 SIKH
 * North Africa 1941-42 3 SIKH
 * Malaya 1941-42 5 SIKH
 * Burma 1942-45 1 SIKH
 * Italy 1943-45 2 & 4 SIKH
 * Greece 1944-45 2 SIKH


 * Post-Independence
 * Jammu & Kashmir 1947-48 1,5,7 & 16 SIKH
 * Jammu & Kashmir 1965 2,3 & 7 SIKH
 * Punjab 1965 4 SIKH
 * Sindh 1971 10 SIKH
 * Punjab 1971 2 SIKH
 * East Pakistan 1971 4 SIKH
 * Jammu & Kashmir 1971 5 & 6 SIKH
 * Kargil 1999 8 SIKH


 * Others


 * The 1st Sikh battalion, in 1979 was the British Commonwealth's most decorated battalion (245 pre-independence and 82 post-independence gallantry awards), when it was transformed into the 4th mechanized infantry.


 * The Sikh regiment is the highest decorated regiment of the Indian army as per Defence review annual as on 1995-1996.

Plans to raise a UK Sikh regiment
Advanced plans by the British Army to raise a UK Sikh infantry regiment were scrapped due to accusations by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) that such a creation could be viewed as racist or sectarian. The Sikh regiment had many supporters including Prince Charles.

Alliances

 * 🇬🇧 - The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border)