Assam Regiment
The Assam Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The Regiment consists of 23 battalions; 15 regular units, three Rashtriya Rifles units, three infantry battalions of the Territorial Army, and two battalions of Arunachal Scouts. It recruits exclusively from all the Seven Sister States of North-East India.
Regimental Centre: Happy Valley, Shillong, Meghalaya, India.
Motto: Asam Vikram (Unique Valour).
War Cry: Rhino Charge.
History
The initial draft of the regiment was drawn from Undivided Assam, consisting of the doughty Ahoms who had proved their martial prowess by defeating the Mughals at the Battle of Saraighat and the hardy, tough and cheerful Nagas, Mizos, Kukis, Garos, Manipuris, and other tribals. Later, the Adis, nishis, Monpas, other tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, domiciled Gorkhas and Sikkimese were also drafted into the regiment and, today, the regiment can boast of being composed of troops of diverse customs, cultures, languages, traditions, and ethos belonging to the seven states of the North-East.
The Regiment was raised on 15 June 1941 in Shillong by Lt Col Ross Howman to meet the claim of the then undivided State of Assam for its own fighting unit and to counter the threat of the Japanese invasion of India. The young regiment soon proved its capabilities within three years of its raising, at the consecutive battles of Jessami, the epic defense of Kohima, and the capture of Aradura, all of which were awarded as Battle Honours (now as Pre-Independence Battle Honours) to the Regiment. The Regiment earned high praise for its combat skills in World War II. After independence, the Regiment gained in strength and its battalions have taken part in all wars and counter-insurgency operations with distinction. It was awarded a Battle Honour for its tenacious defense at Chamb in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.
Two battalions were part of the Indian Peace Keeping Forces in Sri Lanka in 1988 and a battalion served in Cambodia in 1993 as part of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia. Three Territorial Army (TA) battalions and three Rashtriya Rifles (RR) battalions are affiliated with the Regiment. The unique cultural and tribal character of the Regiment makes for a fine combination of cheerful, tough, and willing soldiery who excel in operations in mountainous and jungle terrain. The Regimental Colours are Black and Gold (State colors of undivided Assam) and Scarlet (the color of the Infantry). The badges are Silver with Black backing. The sidearm is the ‘Dah’. The Regimental Language is Hindi. When spoken in the regiment, it is a quaint and unique mixture of Hindi generously sprinkled with words from all the Northeast languages and sounds cryptic to the uninitiated.
The area of Elephant Falls in Shillong was chosen to raise the First Battalion and here, under British instructors, the troops were trained to become a fighting machine. Within six months of its raising, the regiment was ordered to move to Digboi to defend the oil fields. In early 1942, it moved to Ledo and was involved in reconnoitering the alignment for the famous Stilwell Road. In 1944, when the invasion of India by Japan was imminent, the regiment was moved to Jessami and Kharasom to delay the advance of the 31st Japanese division.
In its very first operation, the regiment won 71 gallantry awards. In addition, the regiment won six battle honors including Jessami, Kohima, Aradura, Toungoo, Kyaukmyaung Bridge-head, and Mawlaik. It was also awarded the theatre honor Burma: 1942–45. Seldom has a regiment won so many gallantry awards, battle honors, and theatre awards in a single campaign?
The Regiment, from a small group of three battalions at the time of Independence, has now become 22-battalion strong with 15 regular battalions, three Rashtriya Rifles battalions, three units of Territorial Army, and 1 battalion of Arunanchal scouts, raised specifically for counter-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir. After Independence, the battalions of the regiment participated in all the conflicts against China and Pakistan and proved their mettle in each one of them. Two of its battalions, 4 Assam and 7 Assam, have had the privilege of being part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka and 1 Assam, 15th Assam has 10th Assam the unique distinction of being part of the UN Peace Keeping Force in Cambodia(UNTAC), Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Congo respectively.
The history behind the Assam Regiment has a marching song “Badluram ka badan”.
During World War II, Indian Army soldier Badluram died fighting against Japan. At that time, soldiers were entitled to get food ration. After Badluram’s death, one officer forgot to report Badluram’s death to the Army. As a result, Badluram’s ration kept coming and that resulted in a surplus ration for the Army unit. This ration became the ultimate deciding factor between the life and death of the Indian soldiers.
After some time, Japanese forces surrounded the Indian army and cut off their supplies. But, because of Badluram’s supplies, the soldiers could remain alive.
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