First up, do not get confused between Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. They are two different regiments. We have already described in detail the facts about Jammu and Kashmir Rifles.
This article is about the other regiment, which was raised after independence.
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1. Indian Navy’s INS Kochi is affiliated to the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry.
The INS Kochi is a Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyer.
2. The Regiment celebrated its 70th Raising Day on April 15, 2018.
3. J&K-LI has two regimental centres – Avantipur and Jammu.
The Avantipur centre in Srinagar is used during the summers while the one near Jammu during the winters.
4. The Regiment was raised at the height of the first Indo-Pak War when Pakistani raiders invaded Kashmir.
5. It is the first regiment raised in independent India.
6. The first battalion comprised local volunteers who were not part of the police or state force but had picked arms to fight the Pakistanis.
7. At the time of raising, the Regiment was called J&K Militia and was a paramilitary force under the Home Ministry.
8. The insignia comprises two crossed rifles with a banner underneath bearing the name of the Regiment.
9. The motto of the Regiment is Balidanam vir lakshanam which is Sanskrit for “Sacrifice is a characteristic of the Brave”.
10. In 1971, the then J&K Militia earned three battle honours – Laleali, Picquet 707, and Shingo River Valley.
11. Following the display of gallantry in the 1971 war, the Indian Army made the J&K Militia a part of the force.
12. J&K Militia was renamed J&K Light Infantry in 1976.
13. As a regiment, the J&K LI maintains 50 percent Muslim soldiers and 50 percent non-Muslim soldiers in its force but all from J&K.
Dogras, Sikhs and Ladakhi comprise 40 percent of the 50 percent of the non-Muslim soldiers.
14. Honorary Captain Bana Singh of 8 JAK LI was honoured with the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) for his bravery during Operation Rajiv in Siachen in 1987.
Hony Capt Bana Singh was a Naib Subedar when he was tasked with conquering the Quaid Post, the highest peak in Siachen which was under the control of Pakistanis. A five-member team led by Bana Singh managed to secure the position by climbing a steep 457 m high wall of ice, walking through a blizzard and then defeating and capturing the enemy bunker on 26 June 1987. The peak was renamed Bana Post in his honour.
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He is one the three living recipients of India’s highest military decoration.
15. The Regiment also boasts of two Ashok Chakras – India’s highest peacetime gallantry award.
Lieutenant Triveni Singh of 5 J&K Light Infantry was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for saving the lives of hundreds of people at Jammu railway station on January 2, 2004 when he killed two heavily armed terrorists.
Naib Subedar Chuni Lal of 8 JAK LI was honoured with the Ashok Chakra for killing terrorists in the Kupwara Sector on June 24, 2007. He was previously honoured with the Sena Medal for gallantry for his actions during the capture of Bana Post in 1987 (for which Bana Singh was honoured with PVC) and the Vir Chakra for successfully defending his post during Operation Rakshak (Kargil War) by killing 12 Pakistani soldiers. Naib Subedar Chuni Lal remains among the highest-decorated soldiers in the history of the Indian Army post-Independence.
16. There are 15 battalions in the Regiment. Two other battalions have been separated to form the Ladkah Scouts.
17. The Regiment earned the respect of the nation as well as the Indian Army for its actions during the Kargil War in 1999.
The 12th battalion earned a special “Unit Citation” for two battles during the war: Point 5203 and Point 4812 in Batalik Sector.
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