The Sikh Regiment is a 19 battalion strong, infantry regiment of the Indian Army, drawing a bulk of its recruits from the Sikh community. It is the most decorated regiment in the Indian army and was at one stage one of the highest decorated regiments in the British Empire. The first battalion of the regiment was officially raised just before the annexation of the Sikh Empire on August 1, 1846, by the British Empire. The Sikh Regimental Centre is located in Ramgarh Cantonment, 30 km (19 mi) from Ranchi, which is the capital of the state of Jharkhand in India. The Centre was earlier located in Meerut in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The modern Sikh Regiment traces its roots directly from the 11th Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army. When transferred to the Indian Army like its sister regiments, the numeral prefix (in the case of the Sikh Regiment, 11) was removed and extra battalions were raised, transferred or disbanded to meet army needs. With a humble beginning of two battalions, today the fraternity has grown to a regiment of 19 regular infantry and two reserve battalions strong.
About 5000 soldiers belonging to the Sikh regiment mutinied after the storming of the Golden Temple by the Indian Army in 1984.
Enlisted soldiers are strictly recruited from the Sikh community from Punjab & her surrounding states. They trained internally by the regiment, in which they tend to spend most of their careers. While officers are trained externally from either IMA, or NDA and tend to leave the regiment subject to promotion, officers assigned to the Sikh Regiment are drawn from all regions and areas of India. The war cry of regiment, taken from Sikh scriptures is: 'Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal' ('whoever utters (the phrase following) shall be happy(fulfilled), true is the Holy God').
In a departure from the single class composition, a battalion, 13 Sikh was raised with multiple class composition: a company each of Sikhs, Dogras, Garhwalis and South Indians. However these units were reverted to their original class composition later.
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
4th Battalion
5th Battalion
6th Battalion
7th Battalion
8th Battalion
10th Battalion
11th Battalion
13th Battalion
14th Battalion
16th Battalion
17th Battalion
18th Battalion
19th Battalion
20th Battalion
21st Battalion
22nd Battalion
23rd Battalion
124 Infantry Bn Territorial Army (Sikh)
152 Infantry Bn Territorial Army (Sikh)
157 Infantry Bn Territorial Army (Sikh) (Home and Hearth)
Others
1st Battalion is now 4th Mechanised Infantry.
9th Battalion was disbanded in 1984
Awards and citations
The Museum of the Regimental Centre displays a record of the Sikh Regiment in four halls viz.,
The Religious/motivational Hall,
The Hall of Heritage,
The Regimental Glory Hall
The Peripheral Gallery.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) made a special instant award of "Unit Citation" to 8th Battalion, The Sikh Regiment for their meritorious and gallant performance in isolation of Tiger Hill, which facilitated the capture of Tiger Hill top and Helmet and India Gate, features to the West of Tiger Hill top, on night 07/8 July 1999, in Dras.
During Operation Vijay 1999 during Indo-Pak Kargil War, the units of the regiment displayed sterling performance marked with exceptional valour and grit in the face of the enemy.
In all, the Regiment has to its credit 1652 gallantry awards and honours including
2 Param Vir Chakras
Lance Naik Karam Singh in 1948 during Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.
Subedar Joginder Singh during the Sino-Indian War of 1962.
14 Maha Vir Chakras (MVC)
68 Vir Chakras.
2 Ashoka Chakras.
14 Victoria Crosses
21 Indian Order of Merits: from Battle of Saragarhi
In addition it has also earned:
73 battle honours
38 theatre honours besides five COAS Unit Citation, including
the one bestowed upon 8 Sikh during the 1999 Kargil episode
and two "Bravest of the Brave" citations.
Pre-Independence
Lucknow 1857-58 1 SIKH
Defence of Arrah 1857 3 SIKH
Bihar 1857 3 SIKH
China 1860-62 2 SIKH
Ali Masjid 1878 1, 3 SIKH
Ahmed Khel 1880 2 SIKH
Afghanistan 1878-79 1 SIKH
Afghanistan 1878-80 2, 3 SIKH
Kandhar 1880 2 SIKH
Saukin Wind 1885 2 SIKH
Battle of Tofrek 1885 2 SIKH
Manipur 1891 4 SIKH
Defence of Chitral 1895 1 SIKH
Chitral 1895 2 SIKH
Samana 1897 4 SIKH
Saragarhi/Gulistan 1897 4 SIKH
Punjab Frontier 1897 2, 3, 4 & 35 SIKH (SRC)
Malakand 1897 3 & 35 SIKH (SRC)
Tirah 1897-98 2 & 4 SIKH
China 1900 1 SIKH
North-West Frontier 1908 3 SIKH
World War I
La Bassée 1914 2 & 5 SIKH
St-Julien 1914 2 & 5 SIKH
Armentières 1914-15 5 SIKH
Auber 1914 2 & 5 SIKH
Givens 1914 4 SIKH
Siege of Tsingtao (China) 1914 4, 5 SIKH
Neuve Chapelle 1914-15 2, 3 & 5 SIKH
France and Flanders 1914-15 2 & 5 SIKH
Suez Canal 1914-15 1 SIKH
Festubert 1915 2 SIKH
Tigris 1916 3 & 5 SIKH
Pyres 1915 2 & 4 SIKH
Sari Bair 1915 1 SIKH
Hells 1915 1 SIKH
Krishna 1915 1 SIKH
Suva 1915 1 SIKH
Gallipoli 1915 1 SIKH
Egypt 1915 1 SIKH
Mesopotamia 1916-18 1,3 & 4 SIKH
Sharon 1918 5 SIKH
Palestine 1918 5 SIKH
Baghdad 1916-18 5 SIKH
Siege of Kut 1917 1,3 & 5 SIKH
Hai 1917 3 & 4 SIKH
Megiddo 1918 5 SIKH
Persia 1918 4 SIKH
Egypt 1918 2 & 3 SIKH
Sharot 1918 2 SIKH
Inter-War years
North West Frontier(now Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) 1918-19 35 (SRC) & 5 SIKH
Afghanistan 1919 2 & 35 SIKH (SRC)
Palestine 1921 35 (SRC) & 5 SIKH
Second World War
Agordat 1940-41 4 SIKH
Keren 1941 4 SIKH
First Battle of El Alamein 1940-43 4 SIKH
Omars 1941 4 SIKH
Kuantan 1941-42 5 SIKH
Niyor Kluang 1941-42 5 SIKH
Mersa Matruh 1941-42 2 SIKH
Kota Bharu 1942 5 SIKH
North Arakan 1942-45 1 SIKH
Buthidaung 1942-45 1 SIKH
Coriano 1943-45 2 SIKH
San Mariano 1943-45 2 SIKH
Poggio San Giovanni, Italy1943-45 2 SIKH
Monte Calvo (Picentini) 1943-45 4 SIKH
Battle of Imphal,Kangla Tongbi 1944 1 SIKH
Gothic Line 1943-45 4 SIKH
Nyaungu Bridgehead 1945 1 SIKH
Irrawaddy River 1945 1 SIKH
Shandatgyi 1945 1 SIKH
Kama 1945 1 SIKH
Sittang 1945 1 SIKH
Post-Independence
Srinagar 1947 1 SIKH
Tithwal 1948 1 SIKH
Raja Picquet 1965 2 SIKH
Burki 1965 4 SIKH
Op Hill 1965 7 SIKH
Siramani 1971 4 SIKH
Defence of Poonch 1971 6 SIKH
Purbat Ali 1971 10 SIKH
Tiger Hill 1999 8 SIKH
Pre-Independence
North Africa 1940-43 2 & 4 SIKH
Abyssinia 1940-41 4 SIKH
Iraq 1941 3 SIKH
North Africa 1941-42 3 SIKH
Malaya 1941-42 5 SIKH
Burma 1942-45 1 SIKH
Italy 1943-45 2 & 4 SIKH
Greece 1944-45 2 SIKH
Post-Independence
Jammu & Kashmir 1947-48 1,5,7 & 16 SIKH
Jammu & Kashmir 1965 2,3 & 7 SIKH
Punjab 1965 4 SIKH
Sindh 1971 10 SIKH
Punjab 1971 2 SIKH
East Pakistan 1971 4 SIKH
Jammu & Kashmir 1971 5 & 6 SIKH
Kargil 1999 8 SIKH
Others
The 1st Sikh battalion, in 1979 was the British Commonwealth's most decorated battalion (245 pre-independence and 82 post-independence gallantry awards), when it was transformed into the 4th mechanized infantry.
The Sikh regiment is the highest decorated regiment of the Indian army as per Defence review annual as on 1995-1996.
Advanced plans by the British Army to raise a UK Sikh infantry regiment were scrapped due to accusations by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) that such a creation could be viewed as racist or sectarian. The Sikh regiment had many supporters including Prince Charles.
United Kingdom - The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's Lancashire and Border)
