NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JAN 24
A barely three-year-old infantry battalion of the historic Madras Regiment will be part of the Republic Day parade on Rajpath this year. The members of its marching contingent have travelled from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the mainland of the country for the first time for the ceremonial event, officials said on Saturday.
From the southern most area of the country, #AndamanNicobar comes TA Battalion of Madras Regiment on Rajpath#RepublicDayIndia pic.twitter.com/zZbyKXtHsF
— Neeraj Rajput (@neeraj_rajput) January 23, 2021
The 172nd Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) was raised in 2017 and 95 per cent of its recruits are local “sons of soil” of the island, they said.
“This R-Day, the TA from Andaman and Nicobar Command will be taking part in the parade. These men have crossed the ocean (Bay of Bengal) for the first time from the Andaman islands to the mainland of the country, to take part in the ceremonial event,” a senior defence official told reporters.
Maj Manish Verma, who will be leading the 172nd TA contingent, said this battalion has been raised to protect the Souther Group of islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In the contingent, besides one officer there will be two JCOs and 96 others from different ranks, he said.
“Locals have been recruited to get intelligence inputs to counter any attempts of aggression,” he said on the sidelines of a media interaction held on the premises of a Territorial Army unit at the India Gate complex.
India’s military might and some of the state-of-the-art assets of the armed forces, including three T-90 tanks and the BrahMos missile system, will be showcased during the parade on Rajpath amid strict COVID-19 safety guidelines in place.
Chief of Staff, Delhi Area, Maj Gen Alok Kacker, told reporters that 18 marching contingents – 16 marching and two animal-mounted – will take part in the parade from the armed forces, paramilitary forces, Delhi Police, NCC and NSS, along with 36 bands.
The centuries-old Madras Regiment is one of the most renowned regiments of the country, with many battle honours to its credit.
