LUCKNOW: Two officers from Uttar Pradesh will lead marching contingents at Rajpath on Republic Day. While Major Manish Verma of Bulandshahr will lead Indian army’s youngest battalion, 172 Madras Territorial Army (MTA), Captain Rajpoot Saurabh Singh of Ayodhya will commandeer 17 Garhwal Rifles infantrymen, whose daredevilry during Kargil war won them a Vir Chakra.
The 172 MTA battalion was raised on August 1, 2017, for intelligence gathering in southern Nicobar Islands. Barring contingent leader Major Verma, the soldiers from a Nicobar tribe have never kept foot on the mainland and will be marching under the arc lights for the first time. This infantry battalion is the third of its kind in ‘Thambi Territorial Army’ and 24th in Madras Regiment.
Within two years of commissioning, 95% of the battalion will roll down for the Rajpath parade. And its commander, Major Manish Verma, had earlier served with Territorial Army troops of Bihar, Nagaland, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Andaman. Before wearing the uniform, he was an advocate and participated in at least 50 marathons.
Captain Rajpoot Saurabh Singh, an alumnus of Sainik School Lucknow, is the son of a farmer. His 17 battalion of Garhwal Rifles had participated in Operation Vijay to recapture the Kargil peaks. The battalion’s legendary figure Captain Jintu Gogoi had killed two enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat and took over their machine gun position before succumbing to his wounds. Captain Gogoi was awarded the Vir Chakra posthumously. Their regimental motto is ‘Yudhay krit nishchay (fight with determination) and war cry Badri Vishal Lal Ki Jai (Victory to the sons of Lord Badri Vishal).