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Sikkim Scouts

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This article is about the military unit. For the youth movement in Sikkim, seeThe Bharat Scouts and Guides.

Sikkim Scouts
Sikkim Scouts Regimental insignia and flag
Active2013–present
CountryIndia
BranchIndian Army
TypeInfantry
RoleMountain warfare
SizeTwobattalions[1]

TheSikkim Scoutsis aregimentof theIndian Armybased in and recruited from the state ofSikkim.Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the youngest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of theLadakh ScoutsandArunachal Scouts,as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence andmountain warfare.Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the11th Gorkha Rifles,and uses its insignia and flag, with the addition of the words ‘Sikkim Scouts’.[2]

History[edit]

Sikkimbecame astate of Indiain 1975, after having been a British and then Indianprotectoratefor nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as abuffer zoneagainstChina,with which it shares a 222 km (138 mi) border.[3][4]China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,[5]and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.[6]TheSino-Indian Warof 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border[6][7]and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967Chola incident.[8][9][10]More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.[11][10]Several units of the Indian Army andIndo-Tibetan Border Policeare stationed in Sikkim as of 2014.Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.[4][12]

Pawan Kumar Chamling,Chief Minister of Sikkimfrom theSikkim Democratic Front,requested of theMinistry of Defencethat the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (TheLadakh Scoutswere formed in 1963, and theArunachal Scoutsin 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as theKumaon Regiment.) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by theCabinet Committee on Security.Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.[13]The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5crore(US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.[13][14]

In March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enrol roughly 500 candidates.[15][16]Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.[17]

The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice ChiefS. K. SinghatLucknowon 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and acadrefromGorkha regimentsassembled to train the recruits.[12][18][19]The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.[1]

Organisation[edit]

The regiment was initially planned as onebattalion.Its future expansion is limited by the small size of the population from which it recruits. The first battalion's strength planned strength is 934, comprising 28commissioned officers,44junior commissioned officersand 862 jawans (other ranks).[13]A second battalion was being raised as of 2015.[1]The regiment is about 85% Sikkimese, drawing from a population of 612,000 with a large portion of military-age men. The relatives of veterans will be given priority for positions.[4]

The Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the11th Gorkha Rifles,and use their insignia and flag, with the addition of the words "Sikkim Scouts".[12]

Role[edit]

The soldiers of the Sikkim Scouts are trained in the tactics ofmountain warfare.As the members of the regiment are mostly locals, they are expected to be fairly familiar with the skills needed to operate and survive in the mountainous terrain of Sikkim prior to their enlistment. Their training serves to instruct them in modern methods of warfare and instill military discipline. In an additional advantage to the Indian Army, they are able to obtain information from locals more easily, as they belong to the same culture and speak the same language. Indian Army commanders have expressed the sentiment that in the event of war, members of the Sikkim Scouts and other local regiments from the border would be ready to fight to the end for their home state.[13][20]

The regiment will be tasked with surveilling and guarding the borders of Sikkim, especially the high mountain passes of the north-eastern border with China.[13]While other units of the Indian Army will continue to pass through Sikkim on a temporary (2–3 year) basis, as part of their rotation between different bases in India, the Sikkim Scouts is permanently stationed on the border, and its members will spend nearly their entire career in the state.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcInderjit, Rao (May 2015)."Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018".The Indian Express.
  2. ^"why does cds general bipin rawat always-wear sikkim scouts tab".9 January 2020.www.eastmojo.com
  3. ^Tocci, Nathalie, ed. (2008).Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners.Centre for European Policy Studies. pp. 235–237.ISBN978-9290797791.
  4. ^abcGiri, Pramod (2 October 2012)."Army to raise Sikkim Scouts battalion for Chinese border".Hindustan Times(Kolkata ed.).
  5. ^Kumar, Satish (2011). "India and the Himalayan states". In Scott, David (ed.).Handbook of India's International Relations.Routledge. p. 80.ISBN978-1136811319.
  6. ^abOrton, Anna, ed. (2010).India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.Epitome Books. pp. 51–53, 63–64.ISBN978-9380297156.
  7. ^Gogia, S. C., ed. (1966).The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations.New Delhi: Hardy & Ally India. pp. 390–391.
  8. ^Mishra, Keshav (2004).Rapprochement Across the Himalayas.Gyan. p. 40.ISBN978-8178352947.
  9. ^Feng, Cheng;Wortzel, Larry M.(2003)."PLA Operational Principles and Limited War".In Ryan, Mark A.; Finkelstein, D. M.; McDevitt, Michael A. (eds.).Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949.M.E. Sharpe. p. 188.ISBN978-0765610874.
  10. ^abRamachandran, Sudha (27 June 2008)."China toys with India's border".Asia Times Online.Archived from the original on 5 September 2008.{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^"Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009"(PDF).Washington, D.C.: Office of the Secretary of Defense. pp. 5–6.
  12. ^abcdGanguly, C., ed. (24 May 2013)."Army Vice Chief Unveils the Flag of Sikkim Scouts".Core Sector Communiqué.Kolkata.
  13. ^abcdeBanerjee, Ajay (7 December 2012)."'Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim ".The Tribune(Chandigarh ed.).
  14. ^"Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015".Defence Now.December 2012.Retrieved13 September2014.
  15. ^"Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3".iSikkim.17 February 2013.Retrieved13 September2014.
  16. ^"Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March".iSikkim.15 February 2013.
  17. ^"200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts".iSikkim.10 May 2013.
  18. ^Indian Army (27 May 2013)."Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts"(Press release).
  19. ^"Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013".Z News.Zee Media. 28 December 2013.
  20. ^"Army to raise new battalions from Sikkim, Arunachal".Z News.Zee Media. 17 May 2010.
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