New Delhi – When war calls, Sikhs answer. With 72 Battle Honours, 15 Theatre Honours, 2 Param Vir Chakras, 14 Maha Vir Chakras, 5 Kirti Chakras, 67 Vir Chakras and 1596 other gallantry awards, the Sikh Regiment is one of the most feared units of the Indian army.
However in a very shameful surprise, the Sikh Regiment was MISSING during this year’s Indian Republic Day Parade.
The Sikh Regiment fought with extreme gallantry during the 1st and 2nd World Wars under the Royal British Army. Then came the Kargil War of 1999 and the futile mission to capture the Tiger Hill.
It is to be noted that among the Services category, Brigade of Guards Regiment and Sikh Regiment were jointly adjudged the best marching contingents in the Republic Day Parade – 2015.
On the other note, Chandigarh, capital city of Punjab & Haryana made a debut in Republic day parade. The people chosen to represent Chandigarh on the territory’s float seemed like they had not woken up early enough: they were still trying to kickstart their morning with the front page news and yoga as they rolled down Rajpath. The float was meant to represent Chandigarh as the “smart, green and dream city” but was dubbed the “laziest float”.
For the first time, a contingent from the French 35th Infantry Regiment was given the honour of leading the marching contingents and it performed with panache, preceded by a pipes and drums band and saluting in a rather atypical style with the right hand held straight across the chest.
Sikh regiment was deliberately not allowed to participate…