New Delhi: 13 Kumaon Regiment has been deployed for ceremonial duties on the occasion of Infantry Day, wherein Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane will lay wreath at the National War Memorial (NWM) here on Tuesday.
The troops present for the ceremonial duties at the NWM are from the same unit which fought last round at the Battle of Rezangla in the winter of 1962.
Major Shaitan Singh who was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously and his team of 13 Kumaon had created history by fighting to their last bullet to defend their position at the Rezangla mountain pass.
Rezangla is the feature that Indian troops have recently occupied in South Pongang Tso, last month.
“No this is not the coincidence. Coincidence is that these troops will be commemorating Infantry day October 27 at the NWM in honour of the troops of the same Regiment. This is the day that Infantry (KUMAON & SIKH troops) was landed in Srinagar who beat the Kabailis and saved the Srinagar Airport. Those troops were of the same regiment (4th BN, The KUMAON Regiment),” an official said.
“The first Param Vir Chakra in Independent India was awarded to Maj Somnath Sharma (Posthumous, 4 KUMAON Regiment) for this operation,” he said.
October 27 is celebrated as Infantry Day by the Indian Army as it was on this day that two Infantry companies of the first battalion of the Sikh regiment and 13 Kumaon were airlifted from Delhi to Srinagar to liberate Kashmir from the Pakistani invaders (Kabailis) and regulars of the Pakistan Army.
Local population fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Indian Army pushed back the invaders West of Uri by the end of November 1947.
