Jat Regiment

Jat Regiment
Regimental Insignia of the Jat Regiment
Active	1795 – Present[1]
Country	British India (1795-1947)  India (1947-Present)
Allegiance	India
Branch	British Indian Army (1795-1947)  Indian Army (1947-Present)
Type	Line Infantry
Role	Infantry
Size	24 Battalions
Regimental Centre	Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
Motto(s)	Sangathan Va Veerta (Unity And Valour)
War Cry	Jat Balwan, Jai Bhagwan (The Jat is powerful, Victory to god!)
Anniversaries	July
Commanders
Colonel of the Regiment	Lt Gen B S Raju , UYSM, AVSM, YSM
Insignia
Regimental Insignia	The Roman numeral nine representing its ninth position in the regimental hierarchy of the Indian Army of the 1920s. The insignia also has a bugle indicating the Light Infantry antecedents of two of its battalions.

The Jat Regiment is part of the infantry of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving and most-decorated regiments.^[2] The regiment has won 19 battle honours between 1839 and 1947,^[3] and post-independence it has won five battle honours, eight Mahavir Chakra, eight Kirti Chakra, 32 Shaurya Chakras, 39 Vir Chakras and 170 Sena Medals.^[2][4] During its 200-year service history, the regiment has participated in various actions and operations in India and abroad, including the First and the Second World Wars. Numerous battalions of the Jat Regiment, including the 14th Murray's Jat Lancers, fought in the First World War.^[5]

History[]

The Jat Regiment Insignia during British India (Pre-1947).

British Indian Army: 1795 to 1947[]

The Regiment claims its origins from the Calcutta Native Militia that was raised in 1795,^[6] which later became an infantry battalion of the Bengal Army. The 14th Murray's Jat Lancers was formed in 1857.^[6] After 1860, there was a substantial increase in the recruitment of Jats into the British Indian Army. The , was initially created in 1897 as infantry units from old battalions of the Bengal Army. In January 1922, at the time of the grouping of the Class Regiments of the Indian Army, the was formed by merging four active battalions and one training battalion into a single regiment.^{[citation needed]}

The 1st Battalion was raised as the 22nd Bengal Native Infantry in 1803.^{[citation needed]} The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were raised in 1817 and 1823 respectively. All three battalions had distinguished records of service, including the winning of many honours during World War I. The 1st Battalion served with great distinction in France and Iraq (then Mesopotamia) and was conferred the of being declared "Royal" in addition to being made Light Infantry.^{[citation needed]}

A World War I (1914–1918) Jat Army Officer's Brass Button

The Regiment saw a great deal of fighting in North Africa, Ethiopia, Burma, Malaya, Singapore, and Java-Sumatra. A large number of gallantry awards including a Victoria Cross and two George Crosses were won. At the end of the war, the Regiment removed the numeral 9 from its title and became the Jat Regiment.^{[citation needed]}

Gates of Somnath temple[]

After the Battle of Kabul (1842), Governor General Lord Ellenborough had ordered Major General William Nott, who was commanding British-Indian forces, to recover a set of ornate gates known as the , which had been looted from India by the Afghans and hung at the tomb of Sultan Mahmud II.^[7] A whole sepoy regiment, the 43rd Bengal Native Infantry—which later became the 6th Jat Light Infantry after the Indian Rebellion of 1857—was tasked with carrying the gates back to India.^[8]

Post-independence[]

14th Murray's Jat Lancers (Risaldar Major) by AC Lovett (1862–1919)

Following Indian independence from the UK in 1947, the Jat Regiment served in Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, the 1962 Sino-Indian War, the conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, and in Sri Lanka and Siachen. In 1965, 3 Jat under Lt Col (now Brig Retd) Desmond Hayde on 1 September and then again on 21–22 September, crossed the Ichhogil Canal and captured right up to , advancing towards Lahore. In the 1999 Kargil War, five of the regiment's battalions took part. The regiment has also contributed battalions to UN missions in Korea and Congo. It was also involved in counter-insurgency operations that have kept the Indian Army busy ever since independence.^{[citation needed][9]}

Battle cry[]

The battle cry, adopted in 1955, in Hindi, is जाट बलवान, जय भगवान (IAST: Jāt Balwān, Jai Bhagwān) (The Jat is Powerful, Victory Be to God!).^{[citation needed]}

Recruitment[]

Jat Regiment is a single class regiment.^[10] Soldiers of the Jat Regiment are Recruited from the Jat community of Haryana and surrounding states.^[11][12] Officers may be from any part of country.

Regimental battalions[]

Commemorative stamp celebrating the Jat Regiment in uniforms of the regiment, past and present.

The Jat regiment has 21 regular battalions, 4 Rastriya Rifles battalions and 2 territorial army battalions, as of August 2020.^[13][14]

Gallantry awards[]

Battle honours[]

Pre-1947[]

Post-1947[]

^[15]

• Zoji La & Rajauri, 1947
• Jammu and Kashmir 1947–48
• Phillora & Dograi 1965
• Jammu and Kashmir & East Pakistan 1971

Unit citations[]

When a unit is decorated for counter-insurgency operations, unit citations are given instead of battle or theatre honours.

Victoria Cross[]

• Risaldar Badlu Singh, 14th Murray's Jat Lancers attached to 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse), Palestine 1918.^[16][17]
• Havildar Abdul Hafiz, 9th Jat Regiment, Imphal 1944.^[16]

Maha Vir Chakra[]

• Brig. (later Lt. Gen.) Joginder Singh Bakshi, 16 Jat, 1971^[18]
• Lt. Col. (later Brig.) Desmond Hayde, 3 Jat, Dograi 1965
• Maj. Asaram Tyagi, 3 Jat, 1965
• Capt. Anuj Nayyar, 17 Jat, Kargil 1999
• Capt. , 3 Jat, 1965^[19]

Vir Chakra[]

• Sub Brijendra Singh, 4 Jat, 1971 war^[24]

Ashok Chakra[]

• Maj Sudhir Kumar Walia, 4 Jat (parent unit), 9 Para (Special Forces)^[25]
• Col Jojan Thomas, 45 Rashtriya Rifles^[26]
• Maj Dinesh Raghu Raman, 34 Rashtriya Rifles, PU 19 Jat,^[27]

Others[]

The Jat Regiment marching contingent passes through the Rajpath during the 66th Republic Day Parade, 2015

• The Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar – 2010 (Organisation Category) was awarded to 21st Battalion, the Jat Regiment.^[28]
• The launch of the 'Maujiram helpline' by the Jat Regiment Centre in June 2013.^[29]

List of battles fought[]

This section needs expansion. You can help by . (December 2019)

• WW1
• WW2
• 1947 Indo-Pakistani War
• 1962 Sino-Indian War
• 1965 India-Pakistan War
  • Battle of Dograi
• 1971 India-Pakistan War
  • Battle of Dhalai
• Kargil War

See also[]

• Dev Samhita
• Origin of Jat people from Shiva's Locks
• Jat reservation agitation
• 20th Lancers
• 9th Jat Regiment

References[]

Further reading[]

• War Services of the 9th Jat Regiment by Lieutenant Colonel W. L. Hailes details the military history of the Jat Regiment and of the Jat people between 1893 and 1937.

External links[]

• 6th Jat Light Infantry
• Jat Regiment on Bharat-Rakshak