M A I N   N E W S

Punjab Regiment is 250 years old
Vijay Mohan/TNS

Chandigarh, October 14
As part of the 250 Raising Day Celebrations of the Punjab Regiment, a special commemorative stamp and a first day cover were released by President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhawan today. Defence Minister AK Antony, Chief of the Army Staff, Gen VK Singh and Colonel of the Punjab Regiment, Lt Gen KJS Oberoi, were also present on the occasion.

A host of other events and adventure activities are being undertaken to mark the occasion. These include a 1,156 km para-motor gliding expedition from Meerut to Ramgarh (Jharkhand) where the regimental centre is located and a cycle expedition from Ramgarh to New Delhi. The purpose of these expeditions is to display the regiment’s spirit of adventure and to connect with the masses in the hinterland, to motivate the youth and foster national solidarity.

The Punjab Regiment is the oldest Infantry regiment of the Indian Army and traces its origin to the later half of the 18th century. The ancestral units of the Punjab Regiment were formed out of the erstwhile Coastal Sepoys, which were later known as Carnatic Battalions and then Madras Battalions. In October 1761, the first battalions of the Punjab Regiment were raised. The designation of these battalions underwent several changes in subsequent years and later came to be known as 2nd Punjab Regiment and its recruitment was confined to areas of Punjab.

The First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, now part of the Army’s elite Special Forces, was a part of the Punjab Regiment, having been raised as the 8th Battalion Coast Sepoys in 1761 at Trichinopoly.

Its later redesignations included 67th Punjabis, 1/2nd Punjab Regiment and the 1st Battalion Punjab Regiment. In 1952 it was converted to 1 Para (Punjab) and later reorganised into a commando battalion.