Active 1979 - Present Branch Indian Army Role Mechanised Infantry | Country India Type Line Infantry Size 25 Battalions | |
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The Mechanised Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, comprising 26 battalions dispersed under various armoured formations throughout India. It is one of the youngest regiments in the army, and though it was formed as a result of lessons learned in the 1965 Indo-Pak War, to give infantry battalions greater mobility, it was the mastermind of late Gen K Sundarji who had the foresight to cater the needs of a modern army. Initially, some of the older infantry battalions of various regiments were equipped with the BMP-1 armoured personnel carriers. The need for something more concrete and viable was felt along with a need to develop a common philosophy with regards to the type of tactics. This necessitated the raising a totally new arm in the Indian Army, resulting in the various mechanised battalions being brought together under a single cap badge as the Mechanised Infantry Regiment in 1979.
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The Mechanised Infantry Regiment has participated in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Rakshak in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir and Operation Vijay in Jammu & Kashmir. It also specialises in UN Peacekeeping Operations in Somalia, Congo, Angola and Sierra Leone. The Regiment has its affiliation to INS Gharial, of the Indian Navy. The Mechanised Infantry Regiment of the Indian Army has a special distinction of operating even in the high altitude areas of Ladakh and Sikkim.
Gen Sundarji was appointed the first Colonel of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment, the post he held till his retirement.