Seraj Anwar/Patna

As the nation pays home to the 20 Indian Army soldiers who laid down their lives protecting the country against the Chinese troops on this day a year ago at the Galwan Valley in Western Ladakh, the day brings pride and pain to many people in Bihar.

Amont the martyers of the Galwan Valley, 12 soldiers, including the  Commanding Officer Colonel B Santosh Babu, were from the 16 Bihar Regiment.

The list of martyrs' released by the Army  have names of Colonel B Santosh Babu, Commanding Officer of Bihar Regiment, Junior Commanding Officer Kundan Kumar Jha, besides constables Aman Kumar, Chandan Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Ganesh Kunjam, Ganesh Ram, KK Ojha, Rajesh Oraon, CK Pradhan, Naib Subedar Nanduram and Havildar Sunil Kumar.

Col Santosh Babu was awarded the Mahavir Chakra posthumously for his leadership and bravery in the clash with the PLA. His father B. Upendra Mahavir later said, “My son and his companions fought unarmed. He proved that India is better and stronger than China by killing more enemy soldiers.”

Heroic Regiment

The Bihar Regiment of the Indian Army has a chequered history of valour. After the Kargil skirmish with Pakistan, the Mumbai and the Uri attacks by Pakistan-backed terrorists, the brave sons of the Bihar Regiment also showed their valour in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh.

The Bihar Regiment was established in 1941 with its headquarter is at Danapur near Patna.

Bihar Regimental Center Danapur is the second-largest military cantonment in the country. At present, soldiers from all over the country come there for training.

It started in the British period.

During the Kargil War in July 1999, Pakistani infiltrators tried to capture Point 4268 and Zuber Ridge of the Batalik Sector. The soldiers of the Bihar regiment drove him away.

In the Kargil war, Captain Gurjinder Singh Suri and Major Mariyappan Saravanan of this regiment made the Pakistani soldiers run for their lives. Due to this, the Pakistani army had to flee from Zuber Ridge of the Batalik Sector. Both of them laid down their lives in the battle.

Captain Gurjinder Singh was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra and Major Mariyappan was posthumously awarded the Vir Chakra. In this battle, 18 soldiers of the Bihar Regiment were martyred. A memorial has been built at Kargil Chowk in Patna in their memory.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan of Bihar Regiment was on deputation to NSG at the time of the terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008. When the NSG launched an operation at Hotel Taj Palace against Lashkar-e-toiba terrorists send by Pakistan, Major Sandeep was martyred while fighting valiantly. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra.

In the Uri attack, again by Pakistani terrorists, 15 soldiers of the Bihar Regiment were martyred as they were attacked while they were sleeping in their tents awaiting shifting to a new location.

The Bihar Regiment has so far been awarded 5 Military Crosses, 7 Ashok Chakras, 9 Maha Vir Chakras, 35 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, 21 Kirti Chakras, 49 Vir Chakras and 70 Shaurya Chakras.

Lord Clive did the work of traditionally inducting soldiers from small towns of Bihar into the army in 1757. They were mainly kept for the service of the British East India Company. Initially, their recruitment was done from Bhojpur. Later soldiers were also recruited from Buxar, Rohtas and Kaimur.

These soldiers specialized in the use of new technology in the shortest possible time under any circumstances.

These soldiers later became part of the Bengal Infantry of the British Army in India. Presently the Bihar Regiment is serving the country with its 20 battalions, four Rashtriya Rifles units and two Territorial Army battalions.

In 1971 war, 96,000 soldiers of Pakistan had surrendered in Bangladesh in front of the brave soldiers of Bihar Regiment. It is said that the bravery of soldiers of the Bihar regiment had overawed the Pakistanis and they gave up without giving a fight.