Mohan Guruswamy | Hyderabad connection with the Kumaonis who won eternal honour at Rezang La in 1962

The Nizam’s Contingent was formed when Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, and brother of Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, formed a plan to defeat the French in India. His first action, on arriving in India in 1798, was to effect the disbandment of the Indian units of the Nizam under the command of Monsieur Raymond and officered by non-British Europeans. These soldiers were formed into the British-officered Nizam’s Contingent that fought at Seringapattam in 1799 against Tipu Sultan in the final battle of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore war.

In 1813, Sir Henry Russell, then British Resident in the court of the Nizam, raised the Russell Brigade comprising two battalions. Later, four more battalions were raised and they were known as the Berar Infantry. In addition, two battalions known as the Elichpur Brigade, were raised by Nawab Salabat Khan, Subedar of Berar, as a part of the Nizam’s forces. The men of the Russell Brigade were chiefly Hindus recruited from parts of Uttar Pradesh Kumaonis, along with other North Indian classes who served in the Hyderabad Contingent which was raised, trained and led by British officers under Russell, but paid for by the Nizam of Hyderabad.

By 1853, at the time of the signing of a treaty between the Nizam and the British, the Nizam’s forces consisted of eight battalions. The force was renamed as Hyderabad Contingent, and became part of the British Indian Army, subsequently, becoming the 19th Hyderabad Regiment. Over time, the class composition changed to Kumaonis and Ahirs.

During WW1, a Kumaon Battalion was raised at Ranikhet on October 23, 1917, as 4/39th Kumaon Rifles. In 1918, it was redesignated as 1st Battalion, 50th Kumaon Rifles and a second battalion was raised. These were merged with the Hyderabad Contingent into the 19th Hyderabad Regiment in 1923. The first battalion of the 50th Kumaon Rifles survived to become the 1st Kumaon Rifles, and is today the 3rd Battalion, Kumaon Regiment (Rifles) of the Indian Army. Some units of the Berar and Elichpur infantry were demobilised after World War I. However, the Hyderabad Regiment was again expanded during World War II.

On October 27, 1945, after the Second World War, the 19th Hyderabad Regiment was renamed 19th Kumaon Regiment. Post-independence, it has been known as the Kumaon Regiment.

Two state forces battalions, 4th Gwalior Infantry and Indore Infantry, were allocated to the Kumaon Regiment, becoming 14 Kumaon (Gwalior) and 15 Kumaon (Indore) respectively. The Kumaon Regiment has produced three Indian Army Chiefs: General S.M. Srinagesh (incidentally a Hyderabadi), 4 Kumaon, General K.S. Thimayya (4 Kumaon) and General T.N. Raina (14 Kumaon).

The Hyderabad Contingent, with its mixed Kumaoni, Jats, Ahirs and Deccan Muslims, continued and fought with distinction in the Great War. In 1922, during the Indian Army reorganisation, the six regiments of the Hyderabad Contingent were renamed the 19th Hyderabad Regiment and infantry companies formed from the Kumaon region replaced many of the Deccan Muslim-based companies. In 1923 the 1/50th Kumaon Rifles joined the 19th Hyderabad Regiment as the 1st Kumaon Rifles. In 1935 the battalion commanders attempted to have the regiment renamed the 19th Kumaon Regiment, due to the diminishing links to the Deccan and Hyderabad regions. The request was refused.

This was the only battle of the war in which an Indian unit attacked the Chinese, rather than defending. On November 14, 1962, 6 Kumaon single-handedly attacked and captured Chinese defences in the Walong sector of Arunachal Pradesh without any artillery or aerial support.

The Chinese retaliated with wave after wave of human bodies and artillery. The Kumaonis were vastly outnumbered by over 10 to 1, but held the ground and repulsed every attack until all their ammunition was exhausted, without any logistical support. They then engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and fought to the last man and bullet. Five times as many Chinese soldiers died in the battle. The Chinese succeeded in retaking the defences when there was no Kumaoni left standing. Five Vir Chakras were awarded to 6 Kumaon soldiers for the battle; the Battalion celebrates November 14 as Walong Day.

The 13 Kumaon, an all-Ahir company of the regiment, made a last stand at Rezang La on November 18, 1962. It was led by Major Shaitan Singh, Param Vir Chakra. The area assigned to 13 Kumaon was defended by three platoon positions, but the surrounding terrain isolated 13 Kumaon from the rest of the regiment. The Indian artillery was located behind a hill feature, and could not train its guns on the target. Therefore, the Indian infantry had to fight the battle without the protective comfort of the artillery. The Chinese suffered no such disadvantage and brought on heavy artillery fire on the 13 Kumaon’s Charlie Company.

The Chinese attack, which was expected, came through a dry riverbed. It was repulsed with heavy machine gun fire by the Indian soldiers. The Chinese regrouped and attacked persistently with more reinforcements. Major Shaitan Singh, the Company Commander, went from post to post, raising the morale of his men and continued to fight even after being seriously wounded. The Chinese ultimately defeated the Indian side. 114 Indian soldiers out of a total of 123 were killed. There is a memorial in Rewari in the memory of the Ahir soldiers, as many of the Ahir soldiers came from there. Over 1,700 Chinese soldiers were killed in the battle.

Major Shaitan Singh was posthumously conferred the Param Vir Chakra for his actions; this was the second instance of a Kumaon Regiment soldier winning this honour (the first being Major Somnath Sharma in 1948 at Avantipur, J&K)). Other soldiers defending Rezang La who were awarded Vir Chakras were Naik Hukum Chand (posthumous), Naik Gulab Singh Yadav, Lance Naik Ram Singh (posthumous), Subedar Ram Kumar and Subedar Ram Chander.