A commemorative postage stamp on the 150 years of the 3^rd Battalion, the Sikh Regiment, an infantry regiment of Indian Army :

Issued by India

Issued on Feb 1, 2006

Issued for : The Department of Posts is happy to issue a commemorative postage stamp on the Third Battalion the Sikh Regiment.

Credits :
Stamp & FDC : Kamleshwar Singh (Based on the photographs provided by the Third Battalion the Sikh Regiment)
Cancellation : Alka Sharma

Type : Block of 4 Stamps, Mint Condition

Colour : Multicolor

Denomination : 500 Paise

Stamps Printed : 0.6 Million

Printing Process : Photogravure

Printer : India Security Press, Nashik

About : 

• The Battalion was raised at Lahore on 31 January 1856 as the Bengal Military Police Battalion by Captain Thomas Rattray. At the time of its raising, it had a mixed composition comprising eight Infantry Companies; 1000 strong, and a troop of 200 Cavalrymen. In 1864, it was designated as 45^th Rattray’s SIKHS and became a full fledged Infantry Battalion and in 1885, it was given a pure SIKH status. The present designation dates back to 1947. Ever since its raising, the Battalion has been employed on most challenging assignments both in India and abroad and has had the distinction of discharging all duties most admirably.
• During the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the battalion was deployed in Arunachal Pradesh, established the TURA Camp and trained the erstwhile Muktibahini. The battalion took part in Operation Battle AXE in Mizoram from 82 to 84. The battalion participated in Operation Trident during 87. It also participated in Operation CURB in Tripura in 1988 as part of the Task Force Tripura, when Tripura National Volunteers laid down their arms and surrendered. The battalion has been actively employed in Operation Rakshak in Jammu & Kashmir during the period from 1989 to 1992, 1995, 1997 to 1998 and achieved remarkable successes in combating the terrorists. During its last tenure in Operation Rakshak and Operation Parakram, the battalion carved a niche with outstanding success in elimination of a large number of terrorists and recover of huge quantity of arms and ammunition. The stupendous achievement was recognized with the Chief of the Army Staff Unit Citation. Subedar Surinder Singh was awarded with the Ashok Chakra (Posthumously) for his conspicuous gallantry.
• The Battalion has earned nine Battle Honours, five Theatre Honours and one COAS Unit Citation for its bravery and heroism in various battles/operations since its raising. In its 150 years of glorious existence, the Battalion has performed outstandingly and continues to excel in all fields including sports where it has performed with equal aplomb. Today, the Battalion is the flagship of the Sikh Regiment and leads the Regiment as a fine example of dedicated service to the Nation.
• Text: Material provided by the Third Battalion the Sikh Regiment.