89 Armoured Regiment presented with Standards

The Standards is a mark of recognition of a military establishment’s professionalism, dedication and service to the nation, and is traditionally presented by the President at a special ceremonial parade.
The regiment was raised in 1980 and has since fought insurgency in Punjab as well as Jammu and Kashmir, besides taking part in Operation Vijay, Operation Parakram and Operation Varuna.
Army Chief General Bikram Singh presents the Standards to an officer of 89 Armoured Regiment during a ceremonial parade at Namkum military station last week.
Two of its former commandants have risen to the rank of Lieutenant General and incidentally, both have served under the Chandimandir-based Western Command — Lt General Anil Chait, presently Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff, had commanded 2 Corps at Ambala while Lt General Anil Bhalla, presently Director General Perspective Planning, had commanded 9 Corps at Yol near Dharamshala. The regiment is presently under the command of Col Jagat Singh.


Ties with Lanka vital

Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi was candid enough at his press conference on December 3 when he narrated the military importance of continuing to work with Sri Lanka even as political opposition from Tamil Nadu was peaking.

The Admiral said there was no scaling up of activity with Sri Lanka. “With Lanka, we have training-related interaction and depending upon the needs of that country, we train their personnel accordingly. The arrangement is reviewed periodically. We need to maintain good relations,” the Admiral said.

When asked why it was important for India, the Navy Chief, without naming China or Pakistan, explained that it was to our advantage that they ask us. Otherwise, they could go elsewhere, he said.

This comes just weeks after Tamil Nadu-based parties and state politicians of the Congress and the BJP forced Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to back off from attending the CHOGM at Colombo.

Para raid in Sind

December has special significance for 10 Para, an elite Special Forces battalion. It was in the first week of this month in 1971 that the unit had carried out a raid 80 km inside enemy territory on the Indus-Rangers Headquarters at Chachro in Sind and destroyed it. The battalion, known as the Desert Scorpions, was then based at near Barmer in Rajasthan and infiltrated inside Pakistan on the night of December 5.

The assault on Chachro began in the early hours of December 7. The raiding party came under fire on the outskirts of Chachro, but by daylight, the Paras had neutralised all threats and cleared the enemy from Chachro, taking 17 prisoners of war and capturing a huge cache of small arms.

The raid had been led by the unit’s then commanding officer Lt Col Bhawani Singh, a royal scion from Jaipur. He was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra while the unit was awarded Battle Honour Chachro and Theatre Honour Sind. Each year, the battalion observes Chachro Day to commemorate the battle.

Flag Day advanced

An event which attracts little public attention is the Armed Forces Flag Day, meant to express solidarity with serving and retired soldiers. Traditionally observed on December 7 each year, this year, it has been advanced by a day due to the designated day being a holiday.

Prior to Independence, the British had a convention of observing Remembrance Day on November 11 each year. Red paper poppies were distributed to the public in return for donations and it was also referred to as the Poppy Day.

The donations were primarily meant for the welfare of British soldiers, though the Crown had the discretion for earmarking a portion for the welfare of Indian ex-servicemen. Post-Independence, the Defence Committee of the Cabinet decided in July 1948 that such donations would be for Indian soldiers only.

In August 1949, it was decided that Flag Day would be observed on December 7 and token flags and car stickers would be distributed in return for donations that would be used for welfare measures.

Sikh Regiment Colonel

Lt General GS Shergill has taken over as Colonel of the Sikh Regiment, one of the most highly decorated regiments of the Army. He is presently posted as Chief of Staff, Central Command, at Lucknow. In his capacity as the Colonel, he will be responsible for looking after the affairs of the regiment that comprises 19 regular infantry battalions and three Territorial Army battalions.

Lt General Shergill was commissioned in 1977 into 8 Sikh, the battalion that proved its mettle in the 1999 Kargil conflict and received the Battle Honour Tiger Hill. The General belongs to Chak Bilgan village in Nawanshahr.

(Vijay Mohan, Ajay Banerjee, Jupinderjit Singh)