Punjab Regiment to represent Indian Army at Bastille Day parade in France

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 6

Punjab Regiment has been selected to represent the Indian Army at the Bastille Day celebrations in France this year. The parade will include a 269 member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces marching alongside their French counterparts.

The Punjab Regiment contingent comprises three officers, four junior commissioned officers and 69 other ranks, led by Captain Aman Jagtap. The Indian Navy contingent is being led by Commander Vrat Baghel and the Indian Air Force contingent by Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy.

The tri-service team also includes a 38-member band from the Rajputana Rifles, the senior-most Rifle Regiment of the Army. In addition, four IAF Rafale fighter jets will also form part of the fly past during the parade.

The contingent left for the Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris from the Air Force Station, Jamnagar, on Thursday.

The Punjab Regiment, one of the oldest Infantry Regiments of the Indian Army that traces its origins to 1761, has participated in both the World Wars as well as the post-independence operations. In World War-I, they were awarded 18 Battle and Theatre Honours. Soldiers of the Regiment fought in Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Palestine, Egypt, China, Hong Kong, Damascus and France.

In France, they took part in an offensive near Neuve Chapelle in September 1915, earning the Battle Honours ‘Loos’ and ‘France and Flanders’. In World War-II, they earned 16 Battle Honours and 14 Theatre Honours. The Regiment draws the bulk of its rank and file from Punjab and some neighbouring areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu region.

The association of the Indian and the French Armies dates back to World War-I. Over 1.3 million Indian soldiers participated in the war and about 74,000 of them never returned, while another 67,000 were wounded.

Indian troops have fought valiantly on French soil. Their courage, valour and supreme sacrifice not only thwarted the enemy but also significantly contributed towards winning the war.

Later, World War-II witnessed a whopping 2.5 million Indian soldiers making significant contributions in various theatres of the war from Asia to Africa and Europe. This also included the battlefields of France. The valour of Indian troops has been well recognised in the form of a large number of gallantry awards as well as Battle and Theatre Honours being bestowed on the Indian soldiers and units.

July 14 is celebrated as the Fête Nationale Française, or the National Day of France, also known as the Bastille Day, which marks the anniversary of Storming of the Bastille in 1789 during the French Revolution.

This year, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has been invited as the guest of honour at the Bastille Day Parade in France. This year, both countries are also observing 25 years of Strategic Partnership. The armed forces of both the countries have also been participating in joint exercises and sharing their experiences.