Infantry of the Indian Army

The Infantry of the Indian Army is the largest 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.

History 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.

Regimental organisation 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).

New formations and units

From 2025, keeping in nature of the evolving nature of the battlefield, a drone platoon would be introduced to each infantry battalion in the service. Each 'Ashni drone platoon' would employ 20–25 soldiers and be equipped with loitering munitions and drones to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. In addition, 'Bhairav Light Commando Battalions' are being raised. This battalion would have a strength of 250 personnel, including 78 officers, which is much lesser than that of a standard infantry battalion or a Parachute Regiment battalion, which include 800 and 620 soldiers each. These agile and compact battalions, evolving from the Ghatak platoon concept, are designed as shock troops to undertake clandestine missions or deliver surprise strikes under high-risk conditions beyond the enemy lines to inflict maximum damage.

Regiments The Indian Army has four types of regiments based on class composition - Single Class- These regiments have troops from a single class, e.g. Dogra Regiment. This group also includes three scout units (highlighted in green), which are affiliated with an existing regiment. These units includes recruits only from a small geographical area and have a role of serving only in the border region from where they have been raised. Fixed Class - They are composed of troops from two or more ethnic groups. The sub-units have troops from a single ethnic group e.g. Rajputana Rifles are recruited primarily from Jat and Rajput populations. Mixed Fixed Class - They are similar to the Fixed Class regiments but the sub-units have troops from more than one ethnicity. e.g. the Punjab Regiment comprises Sikhs, Punjabis and Dogras but all function in mixed sub-units. All India All Class- These units contain a heterogeneous mix of all Indian classes and are generally those units, which have been raised after independence. e.g. Brigade of the Guards. Based on role, the regiments can be classified as- Regular infantry Airborne infantry Mechanised Infantry 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. Regular and airborne infantry Regiment Active from Regimental centre Reg. Bn. TA Bn. RR Bn. Motto War cry Madras Regiment 1758 Wellington Cantonment, Tamil Nadu 21 3 4 "Swadharme nidhanam shreyah" ("it is a glory to die doing one's duty") "Vira Madrasi, adi kollu, adi kollu" ("brave Madrasi, strike and kill, strike and kill!") Rajputana Rifles 1775 Delhi Cantonment 19 2 4 "Virabhogya 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 Lord Hanuman") Dogra Regiment 1877 Ayodhya Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh 20¶ 4 4 "Kartavyam anvatma" ("duty before death") "Jwala Mata ki jai" ("victory to Goddess Jwala") Sikh Regiment 1846 Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand 20 3 3 "Nishchay kar apni jit karun" ("with determination, I will be triumphant") "Bole so nihal, Sat Shri Akal" ("shout aloud in ecstasy, true is the great eternal God!") "Waheguruji ka khalsa, Waheguruji ki fateh" ("the khalsa of Waheguru is victorious") Jat Regiment 1795Bareilly Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh 22 2 4 "Sangathan wa virata" ("unity and valour") "Jat balwan, jai bhagwan" ("the Jat is strong, victory to God") Parachute Regiment 1945 Bangalore Cantonment, Karnataka 15 2 1 "Shatrujit" ("the conqueror") "Balidana param dharma" ("sacrifice, supreme duty") Punjab Regiment 1761 Ramgarh Cantonment, Jharkhand 21 3 4 "Sthal wa jal" ("by land and sea") "Bole so nihal, Sat Shri Akal" ("shout aloud in ecstasy, true is the great eternal God!"); "Jwala Mata ki jai" ("victory to Goddess Jwala") The Grenadiers 1778 Jabalpur Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh 23 2 4 "Nam, 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") "Bole so nihal, Sat Shri Akal" ("shout aloud in ecstasy, true is the great eternal God!") Maratha Light Infantry 1768 Belgaum Cantonment, Karnataka 22 2 4 "Duty, honour, courage" "Bola Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai ("say victory to King Shivaji); "Temlai Mata ki jai" ("victory to Goddess Temlai"); Hara Hara Mahadeva ("hail to Lord Shiva") Garhwal Rifles 1887 Lansdowne, Uttarakhand 21¶ 2 3 "Yuddhaya kritanishchayah" ("fight with determination") "Badrivishal lal ki jai" ("victory to the sons of great Lord Badrinath") Kumaon Regiment 1813 Ranikhet, Uttarakhand 20¶ 2 3 "Parakramo vijayate" ("valour triumphs") "Kalika Mata ki jai" ("victory to Goddess Kali"); "Bajrang Bali ki jai" ("victory to Lord Hanuman"); "Dada Kishan ki jai" ("victory to Lord Krishna") Assam Regiment 1941 Shillong Cantonment, Meghalaya 15 5 3 "Assam vikram" ("unique valour") "Rhino charge" Bihar Regiment 1941 Danapur Cantonment, Bihar 22 2 4 "Karma hi dharma" ("work is worship") "Bajrang Bali ki jai" ("victory to Lord Hanuman"); "Birsa Munda ki jai" ("victory to Birsa Munda") Mahar Regiment 1815 Sagar Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh 21 3 3 "Yash siddhi" ("success and attainment") "Bolo Hindustan ki jai" ("say victory to India") Jammu and Kashmir Rifles 1821 Jabalpur Cantonment, Madhya Pradesh 23 3 3 "Prashasta ranavirata" ("valour in battle is praiseworthy") "Durga Mata ki jai" ("victory to Goddess Durga") Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry 1947 Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 15 3 - "Balidanam vira 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") 1st Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment) 1815 Sabathu, 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") 3rd Gorkha Rifles 1815 Varanasi Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh 5 1§ 1§ "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("better to die than live like a coward") "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas") 4th 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 Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas") 5th Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force) 1858 Shillong Cantonment, Meghalaya 6 1§ "Shaurya evam nishtha" ("courage and determination") "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas") 8th Gorkha Rifles 1824 Shillong Cantonment, Meghalaya 5 1§ "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("better to die, than live like a coward") "Jai Ma Kali, ayo Gorkhali" ("hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas") 9th Gorkha Rifles 1817 Varanasi Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh 5 1§ 1§ "Kayar hunu bhanda marnu ramro" ("better to die, than live like a coward") Jai Ma Kali, Ayo Gorkhali ("hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas") 11th Gorkha Rifles 1918–1922; from 1948 Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 6 1 "Yatraham vijayastatra" ("victory resides where I reside") "Jai Ma Kali, Ayo Gorkhali ("hail Goddess Kali, here come the Gorkhas") Ladakh Scouts 1963 Leh, Ladakh 5 "Ki ki so so lhargyalo" ("victory to God") Arunachal Scouts 2010 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). Mechanised infantry Regiment Active from Regimental centre Reg. Bn. TA Bn. RR Bn. Motto War cry Brigade of the Guards 1949 Kamptee, Maharashtra 22 2 1 "Pehla hamesha pehla ("first, always first") "Garud ka hun bol pyare" ("I am the son of Garuda, say my friend") Mechanised Infantry Regiment 1979 Ahmednagar, Maharashtra 27 "Valour and faith" "Bolo Bharat Mata ki jai" ("say victory to Mother India")

Infantry School

The Infantry School is the oldest and largest training institution of the Indian Army, training over 7,000 Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers annually. The origin of the present school can be traced to The School of Musketry at Changla Gali (now in Pakistan), which was established in the year 1886. Between 1886 and 1948, before it inherited its present name and came to be located at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, it passed through various names and locations: - +YearNameLoc1886School of MusketryChangla Gali1888School of MusketryDeolali1913School of MusketrySatara and Belgaum1919Small Arms SchoolPachmarhi1931Small Arms SchoolAhmednagar1933Small Arms SchoolSaugar1935Indian NCO Training SchoolJhansi1937Indian Infantry Platoon Commander's SchoolFaizabad1940Battle School and Tactics and Administration SchoolDehradun1948Infantry SchoolMhow