The Gorkha Regiment
Since the independence of India in
1947, as per the terms of the Britain–India–Nepal Tripartite
Agreement, six Gorkha regiments, formerly part of the British Indian Army,
became part of the Indian Army and have served ever since. The
troops are mainly from ethnic Gorkha community of Nepal.
They have a history of courage in battle, evident from the gallantry
awards won by Gorkha soldiers and battle honours awarded
to Gorkha both before and after joining the Indian Army. They carry their
signature, a Kukri knife with them. A seventh Gorkha Rifles
regiment was re-raised in the Indian Army after Independence to accommodate
Gorkha soldiers of 7th Gurkha Rifles and the 10th
Gurkha Rifles who chose not to transfer to the British Army.
Origins
Impressed by
the fighting qualities displayed by the Gorkhas during the Gurkha War, Sir David
Ochterlony was quick to realise the potential of the Gorkhas in
the British Indian Army. Until then, Gorkha
defectors were generally used as irregular forces. On 24 April 1815, the first
battalion of the Gorkha Regiment, was raised as the Nasiri regiment. This
regiment later became the 1st King George's Own Gurkha Rifles, and saw action at the
Maulun fort under Lieutenant Lawtie.
They were
instrumental in the expansion of the British East India Company throughout
the subcontinent. The Gorkhas took part in
the Gurkha-Sikh War, Anglo-Sikh
wars, Afghan wars, and in
suppressing the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Throughout these
years, the British continued to recruit the Gorkhas and kept increasing the
number of Gorkha regiments.
By the time First World War started, there were 10 Gorkha (spelt Gurkha at the time) regiments in the British Indian Army.
The Gorkha regiments played a major role as part of the Commonwealth armies during both World Wars seeing action from Monte Cassino in the west to Rangoon in the east, and earning extensive battle honours. During the North African campaign, the German Afrikakorps accorded respect to the Nepalese knife khukri-wielding Gorkhas.
Post-Independence
Following India's independence, India, Nepal and Great Britain signed a Tripartite Agreement, and of the total of 10 Gorkha regiments in the British Indian Army, six joined the Indian Army.
· 1st King
George V's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)
·
3rd Queen
Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles
·
4th Prince of
Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles
·
5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier
Force)
·
8th Gurkha
Rifles
·
9th Gurkha
Rifles
Following the divisions of the Gorkha regiments,
the British Army decided that joining of the
British Army would be entirely voluntary for the Gorkha soldiers and decided to
hold a referendum. As a result, large numbers of men from the 7th Gurkha Rifles and
the 10th Gurkha Rifles, which recruited
predominantly from eastern Nepal, decided not to join their regiments as part
of the British Army. In order to retain a contingent from this area of Nepal,
the Indian Army made the decision to raise the 11 Gorkha
Rifles. Although there was an ad hoc regiment raised during World
War 1 with troops drawn from the various Gurkha units, the troops mostly
retained the uniform and insignias of their respective regiments (with a few
exceptions who wore 11 GR badges which was unofficial as no sanction was given
for such). This regiment was disbanded in 1922 and has no relation to the
present-day 11 Gurkha Rifles, though some do claim so. In 1949, the spelling of
'Gurkha' in the Indian Army was changed to the traditional 'Gorkha', while upon
becoming a republic in 1950, all royal titles associated with the Indian Gorkha
regiments were dropped.
Since independence, the Gorkhas have fought in every
major campaign involving the Indian Army being awarded numerous battle and
theatre honours. The regiments have won many gallantry awards like the Param Vir
Chakra and the Maha Vir
Chakra. The 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), has the unique distinction
of producing one of the two Field Marshals of the Indian
Army, Sam Manekshaw.
The 5th battalion of 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force),
5/5 GR (FF), fought gallantly in the Hyderabad Police action in
1948, during which Nk. Nar Bahadur Thapa of 5/5 GR (FF) earned the first Ashok Chakra Class I
of independent India, on 15 September 1948. The 1st battalion, 1/5 GR (FF),
captured the Sehjra bulge
fighting against a whole Pakistani battalion during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The 4th
battalion, 4/5 GR (FF), fought in the Battle of Sylhet, earning the distinction
of being the first regiment of the Indian Army to be involved in a heliborne
attack. Under the Indian Army, Gorkhas have served in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Siachen,
and in the UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, Sudan and Sierra Leone.
Major Dhan Singh Thapa of the 1st battalion, 8 Gorkha Rifles, 1/8 GR, won the Param Vir Chakra for his heroic actions during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. The 1st battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles, 1/11 GR, was involved in the Kargil War of 1999 where Lt. Manoj Kumar Pandey won the Param Vir Chakra for his gallant actions. Lt Hari Singh Bist of the 3rd Battalion of the 11 Gorkha Rifles was awarded a Shaurya Chakra posthumously for his gallant close combat encounter with terrorists of JeM in Mendhar in Kashmir. Lt Bist and his patrol party had got information that a group of terrorists were hiding in a village hut. On receiving the intelligence, Lt Bist volunteered to conduct further surveillance. During the actual encounter, Lt Bist killed five of the militants but was shot five times during the encounter.
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