The Northern Command of the Indian Army on Sunday tweeted a video hailing the Bihar Regiment and saluting its courage for its contribution in the Kargil War 21 years ago. The video comes days after 20 soldiers from the regiment were killed in the India-China face-off at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley.
“It was the same month, 21 years ago, that the Bihar Regiment gave a bloody nose to the Kargil intruders,” the voiceover in the video says. “It is not (about) the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog,” it adds.
The 1 minute 57 second video, created and narrated by Major Akhill Pratap, also traces the regiment’s victory over the years from 1857 to 1999.
“They were born to fight. They do what they do. They are not the bats, they are the Batman,” the voiceover says.
#IndianArmy #21yearsofKargil
— NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) June 20, 2020
The Saga of #DhruvaWarriors and The Lions of #BiharRegiment.
"Born to fight.They are not the bats. They are the Batman."
"After every #Monday, there will be a #Tuesday. Bajrang Bali Ki Jai"@adgpi@MajorAkhill #NationFirst pic.twitter.com/lk8beNkLJ7
According to the Indian Army website, the recruitment of Biharis as soldiers of modern era dates back to the days of the British East India Company, which raised the ‘Bengal Native Infantry’ as a force.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently hailed the regiment for its valour.
"Everyone is proud of Bihar Regiment's valour. Each and every Bihari is very proud of it," he said as he launched a employment scheme from which Bihar would be a key beneficiary.
India lost 20 of its army personnel, including a colonel, in the violent face-off on the night of June 15/16 in Ladakh's Galwan Valley, the biggest confrontation between the militaries of India and China after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La when India lost around 80 soldiers while the death toll on the Chinese side was over 300. The officer killed in the clash was identified as Colonel Santosh Babu, Commanding Officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, and a native of Telangana.
The fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh last week was the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that has significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region.
The two armies were engaged in a standoff in Galwan and several other areas of eastern Ladakh since May 5 when the two sides clashed on the banks of the Pangong Tso.
The situation in the area deteriorated after around 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on May 5 and 6. The incident in Pangong Tso was followed by a similar incident in north Sikkim on May 9.
With PTI inputs