Active 1987 – present Allegiance India Type Armour | Country India Branch Indian Army Size Regiment | |
51sh Armoured Regiment is an armoured regiment which is part of the Armoured Corps of the Indian Army. The regiment was raised on 31 May 1987 by Lt Col R.S. Gill at Ahmednagar with the designation of 'B' Tank Regiment which was changed on 15 July 1989 to 51 Armoured Regiment . The first Colonel of the Regiment was Lt Gen S.S. Mehta, AVSM and Bar, VSM.
Soon after raising, on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the regiment was involved in aid to civil authorities when it was deployed in Karnal District. It was also involved in internal security duties during Operation Rakshak II
The regiment has a nickname "the Unicorn" on account of its cap badge.
Cap badge
The cap badge of the regiment is a unicorn head which was suggested by Lt Col NJS Pannu. The mythical beast finds mention in Indian historical texts, and represents "purity' and "closeness to God. The initial badge showed a unicorn head facing to the right but the design was considered unsatisfactory and it was replaced with a unicorn head facing the left in silhouette. The head rests on a scroll inscribed with the words "51 KAVACHIT REGIMENT" (meaning 51st Armoured Regiment) in Devanagari script.
The shoulder title consists of the numeral "51" in brass.