| Infantry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1758–present |
| Country |  British India  India |
| Allegiance | Republic of India |
| Branch |  British East India Company  British Indian Army  Indian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Regimental colours | Red |
| Anniversaries | 27 October (Infantry Day) |
The Infantry of the Indian Army is the largest combat arm of the Indian Army. It consists of personnel, who historically have engaged in ground combat on foot. It presently also consists of mechanised and airborne infantry.
The infantry was historically the first combat arm in any army. The present regiments of the Indian Army trace their origin to the British East India Company, when Indians were employed to protect their trading stations. From the middle of the eighteenth century, the three presidencies of the company began to maintain armies at Calcutta (Bengal Army), Madras (Madras Army) and Bombay (Bombay Army). The presidency armies had their own Regiments and cadre of European officers. There were European regiments, where both the officers and men were Europeans, as well as 'Native' regiments, which were officered by Europeans, but the other ranks were Indians. The recruitment of Indians was usually done locally, with battalions each drawn from single castes, or and from specific communities or geographical areas. This pattern of recruitment continues to this day in many of the older regiments. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, 55 out of 70 infantry regiments of the Bengal Army were disbanded and more infantry regiment raised from Punjab and those including Gorkhas. Indian troops maintained internal security in the country, fought for the defence of the North-West Frontier and were sent abroad to take part many conflict zones of the British empire. The infantrymen subsequently served in the two world wars with distinction. [1] [2] [3]
Each regiment consists of more than one infantry battalion. A battalion is commanded by an officer of the rank of Colonel. The battalion is further divided into four rifle companies, one headquarters company and at times a support company. Each company is commanded by an officer of the rank of a Major or a Captain. A company will have three platoons, which in turn will have three sections. In addition, each battalion has a Ghatak platoon, which is a special operations capable reconnaissance platoon. An infantry battalion usually has a strength of 15-20 officers and 650-800 other ranks. The latter includes Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and other ranks (ORs). [4] [5] [6]
The Indian Army has four types of regiments based on class composition [7] [8] -
Based on role, the regiments can be classified as-
The regiments, date of formation, regimental centre, number of battalions (regular, Territorial Army (TA) and Rashtriya Rifles (RR), motto and war cry are as follows [7] -
| Regiment | Active From | Regimental Centre | Reg. Bn. | TA Bn. | RR Bn. | Motto | War Cry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madras Regiment | 1758 | Wellington, Tamil Nadu | 21 | 3 | 4 | "Swadharme nidhanam shreyaha" ("It is a glory to die doing one's duty") | "Veera Madrassi, Adi Kollu, Adi Kollu" ("Brave Madrassi, Strike and Kill, Strike and Kill!") |
| Rajputana Rifles | 1775 | Delhi Cantonment | 19 | 2 | 4 | "Veer bhogya vasundhara" ("The brave shall inherit the earth") | "Raja Ramachandra ki jai" ("Victory to King Ramachandra") |
| Rajput Regiment | 1778 | Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh | 20 | 2 | 4 | "Sarvatra vijay" ("Victory everywhere") | "Bol Bajrang Bali Ki jai" ("Say victory to Hanuman") |
| Dogra Regiment | 1877 | Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh | 20¶ | 4 | 4 | "Kartavyam anvatma" ("Duty before death") | "Jawala Mata ki jai" ("Victory to Mother Jawala") |
| Sikh Regiment | 1846 | Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand | 20 | 3 | 3 | "Nischay kar apni jeet karon" ("With determination, I will be triumphant") | "Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akaal" ("Whoever utters, shall be fulfilled, True is the Great Timeless One") "Waheguru Ji Da Khalsa Waheguru Ji Di Fateh" ("The Khalsa belongs to the Wondrous Enlightener! Victory belongs to the Wondrous Enlightener") |
| Jat Regiment | 1795 | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh | 22 | 2 | 4 | "Sangathan va veerta" ("Unity and valour") | "Jat balwan, jai bhagwan" ("The Jat is strong, victory to the Fortunate God") |
| Parachute Regiment | 1945 | Bengaluru, Karnataka | 15 | 2 | 1 | "Shatrujeet" ("The conqueror") | "Balidan Param Dharma" ("Sacrifice, Supreme Duty") |
| Punjab Regiment | 1761 | Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand | 21 | 3 | 4 | "Sthal wa jal" ("By land and sea") | "Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" ("Shout Aloud in Ecstasy, True is the Great Eternal God!"); "Bol Jawala Ma ki jai" ("Say victory to Mother Jawala") |
| The Grenadiers | 1778 | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | 23 | 2 | 4 | "Naam, Namak, Nishan" ("Name, Salt, Mark") | "Sarvada shaktishali" ("Always strong") |
| Sikh Light Infantry | 1944 | Fatehgarh, Uttar Pradesh | 19 | 3 | 3 | "Deg Tegh Fateh" ("Victory to charity and arms") | "Jo Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal" ("Whoever utters, shall be fulfilled, True is the Great Timeless One!") |
| Maratha Light Infantry | 1768 | Belgaum, Karnataka | 22 | 2 | 4 | "Duty, honour, courage" | "Bola Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai ("Say victory to Great King Shivaji); "Temlai Mata ki Jai" ("victory to Mother Temlai"); Har Har Mahadev" ("O Lord Mahadev you are omnipresent") |
| The Garhwal Rifles | 1887 | Lansdowne, Uttarakhand | 21¶ | 2 | 3 | "Yudhaya krit nischya" ("Fight with determination") | "Badri Vishal Lal ki jai" ("Victory to the Great Lord Badri Nath") |
| Kumaon Regiment | 1813 | Ranikhet, Uttarakhand | 20¶ | 2 | 3 | "Parakramo vijayate" ("Valour triumphs") | "Kalika Mata ki jai" ("Victory to Mother Kali"); "Bajrang Bali ki jai" ("victory to Lord Hanuman"); "Dada Kishan ki jai" ("Victory to Dada Kishan") |
| Assam Regiment | 1941 | Shillong, Meghalaya | 15 | 5 | 3 | "Assam vikram" ("Unique valour") | "Rhino charge" |
| Bihar Regiment | 1941 | Danapur, Bihar | 22 | 2 | 4 | "Veerta se yudh par" ("To war with valour") | "Bajrang Bali Ki Jai" (Victory to Lord Hanuman) ; "Har Har Mahadev" ("O Lord Mahadev, you are omnipresent") |
| Mahar Regiment | 1815 | Saugor, Madhya Pradesh | 21 | 3 | 3 | "Yash sidhi" ("Success and attainment") | "Bolo Hindustan ki jai" ("Say victory to India") |
| Jammu & Kashmir Rifles | 1821 | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | 21 | 4 | 3 | "Prashata ranvirta" ("Valour in battle is praiseworthy") | "Durga Mata ki jai" ("Victory to Mother Durga") |
| Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry | 1947 | Avantipur, Jammu and Kashmir | 20 | 3 | - | "Balidanam vir lakshanam " ("Sacrifice is a characteristic of the brave") | "Bharat Mata ki jai" ("Victory to Mother India") |
| Naga Regiment | 1970 | Ranikhet, Uttarakhand | 3 | 1 | 1 | "Parakramo vijayate" ("Valour triumphs") | "Jai Durga Naga" ("Victory to Durga Naga") |
| 1 Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) | 1815 | Subathu, Himachal Pradesh | 6 | 1§ | "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("Better to die than live like a coward") | "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("Hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") | |
| 3 Gorkha Rifles | 1815 | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | 5 | 1§ | 1§ | "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("Better to die than live like a coward") | "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("Hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") |
| 4 Gorkha Rifles | 1857 | Sabathu, Himachal Pradesh | 5 | 1§ | "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("Better to die than live like a coward") | "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("Hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") | |
| 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) | 1858 | Shillong, Meghalaya | 6 | 1§ | "Shaurya evam nistha" ("Courage and determination") | "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") | |
| 8 Gorkha Rifles | 1824 | Shillong, Meghalaya | 5 | 1§ | "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("Better to die, than live like a coward") | "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("Hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") | |
| 9 Gorkha Rifles | 1817 | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | 5 | 1§ | 1§ | "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("Better to die, than live like a coward") | Jai Ma Kali, Ayo Gorkhali ("Hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") |
| 11 Gorkha Rifles | 1918–1922; from 1948 | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 6 | 1 | "Yatraham vijayastatra" ("Victory resides where I reside") | "Jai Ma Kali, Ayo Gorkhali ("Hail Mother Kali, here come the Gorkhas") | |
| Ladakh Scouts | 1963 | Leh, Ladakh | 5 | "Ki ki so so Lhargyalo" ("Victory to God") | |||
| Arunachal Scouts | 2010 | Rayang, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | ||||
| Sikkim Scouts | 2013 | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh | 2 |
¶ The Dogra Regiment, Garhwal Rifles, Kumaon Regiment have a scout battalion each, in addition to the above-mentioned battalions. Arunachal Scouts is affiliated to Assam Regiment, Ladakh Scouts to Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and Sikkim Scouts is to 11 Gorkha Rifles.
§ Since the Gorkha Regiments have relatively smaller number of battalions, 1 Gorkha Rifles and 4 Gorkha Rifles provide troops for 15 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, 3 Gorkha Rifles and 9 Gorkha Rifles for 32 Rashtriya Rifles battalion, and 5 Gorkha Rifles and 8 Gorkha Rifles for 33 Rashtriya Rifles battalion. 3 Gorkha Rifles and 9 Gorkha Rifles are affiliated to 137 Composite Eco-Task Force Battalion (Territorial Army).
| Regiment | Active From | Regimental Centre | Reg. Bn. | TA Bn. | RR Bn. | Motto | War Cry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brigade of the Guards | 1949 | Kamptee, Maharashtra | 22 | 2 | 1 | "Pahla humesha Pahla ("First, always first") | "Garud ka hu bol pyare" ("I am the son of Garuda say O my friend") |
| Mechanised Infantry Regiment | 1979 | Ahmednagar, Maharashtra | 27 | "Valour and faith" | "Bolo Bharat Mata ki jai" ("Say Victory to Mother India") |
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