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 The second
battalion of the Garhwal Rifles is now hundred years-old. The battalion
was raised by Lt Col JT Evatton on March 1, 1901 at Lansdowne. Soon after
raising, the battalion got on to the business of training and achieved
the desired field service efficiency. Besides training, troops also had
to build their own barracks, known till date as Evatt Lines at Lansdowne,
which is a testimony to the solid foundation of the battalion.
 In September 1906,
the battalion relieved 1 Garhwal Rifles at Chitral (Afghanistan). The
battalion after a year’s duty was relieved in October 1907. During the
return journey, the battalion was caught in a severe blizzard and
snowstorm while negotiating the Lowari Pass. One other rank, 10 followers
and 59 mules died of exposure. The Commander-in-Chief commended the
officers and men of the battalion for their conduct and good service
which saved numerous lives during this natural calamity. In January 1912,
the battalion was specially selected to attend the King George V
Coronation Durbar in Delhi.
 On August 4, 1914,
the Great War broke out. The battalion, which was at Lansdowne at its
permanent station in India, was mobilised and it set sail to France through
Karachi. The war saw many heroic deeds of the battalion. Late Rifleman
Gabar Singh Negi won the coveted Victoria Cross. The battalion won the
battle honour Neuve Chappelle and also established itself as a
fighting force to reckon with during the battles in Mesopotamia and
Turkey. The battalion bagged 1 Victoria Cross, 5 CMGs, 10 DSOs, 10 IDMs,
12 IDSMs and 1 Russian Cross of St George.
 The intervening
period from 1922 to 1927 saw the battalion in action at Waziristan wherein
it was deployed for internal security duty to quell the Mashud Rebellion.
Bold action by the battalion found the Mashuds scurrying for cover in a
short span of two years. This could be termed as the first exposure of
the battalion to fighting insurgency. Having restored peace, the
battalion returned to its permanent abode at Lansdowne in 1924 and
remained there till 1927.
 In 1928, the
battalion again moved to Waziristan and was stationed at Razmak as part
of the Razmak Brigade. During the tenure, the battalion established a
temporary garrison at Tauda China and Khyber and undertook
counter-insurgency operations. In April 1930, the battalion was deployed
in the Peshawar city where two platoons refused to open fire on the
unarmed civilians participating in the Civil Disobedience movement. As an
aftermath of the incident, the battalion was disarmed. However, as the
Court of Inquiry opined , the battalion was rearmed on May 17, 1931.
The
battalion was deployed in West Bengal at Bankura and Midnapur from 1932
to 1934 and successfully undertook counter-terrorist operations.
 The second
battalion embarked at Bombay on October 27, 1940 under the command of Lt
Col LH Cockram and was ordered to proceed as Garrison Battalion to
Kuantan on the East Coast of Pahang in Malaya Peninsula. The battalion
was the only infantry battalion in Kuantan. Its role was to deny the
airfield to the enemy and to protect vital points, which involved holding
ground to the north of the town with wide dispersion. An observation post
was established at the mouth of the Pahang River to give early warning of
any enemy movement up the river through which it was possible to reach
Jerrantut. By December 1941, the battalion had been milked twice to
assist in forming new battalions which resulted in a large number of
recruits in the rank and file of the battalion. This inevitably affected
the fighting efficiency of rifle companies. Contact with enemy was
established on December 29. The overwhelming superiority of the Japanese
forced the battalion to withdraw after a series of successful delaying
action battles till February 1, 1942 when the battalion reached the
Johore Straits. The causeway for further move to Johore Bheru was
destroyed by the Japanese. Since 80 per cent of the troops were non swimmers,
it was decided to surrender. At the time of surrender, the strength of
the battalion was about 280 all ranks. For conspicuous acts of gallantry,
three MC, one MBE and one MM were won by the battalion.
 On May 11, 1946
the battalion was reconstituted from the remnants of the 4th Battalion at
Yol Camp. Immediately after re-raising, battalion was assigned the task
of guarding POW camp at Yol wherein Italian POWs were housed. In August,
1947 the battalion moved to Kolkata and on August 15 the national flag
was hoisted at Fort William by Maj (later Brigadier) Hari Singh.
Thereafter, the battalion was deployed for internal security duties in
the wake of post-Independence communal riots.
The
battalion was subsequently given the task of escorting the refugees’
train to Pakistan and back. In May 1948, the battalion concentrated at
Jallandhar and was tasked to construct family accommodation which was
completed with usual elan and zeal. This complex was named as Jawanabad
by Brig B M Kaul who expressed his satisfaction at the high standard
of discipline and training of the battalion. The battalion also got
mentioned in his book, The Untold Story.
 The battalion was
stationed at Fort William from 1957 to 1960 wherein dussehra was
celebrated with usual fervour and enthusiasm. Training also received the
required impetus and time which enabled all ranks to achieve the desired
standards. For the second time after 1954, the battalion was selected to
provide a marching contingent for the Republic Day Parade in 1957 which was
led by Capt K B Gurung.
The
battalion moved to Sarol (J&K) on October 1, 1963. It had earlier
served in the same sector, so the bhullas were on home turf while
manning the picquets on the ceasefire line opposite Pakistani formations.
The battalion headquarters was at Sarol and rifle companies were deployed
on picquets. Lt Col Ujagar Singh succeeded Lt Col SS Rana on January 3,
1964.
The
battalion was part of the battle during operation Hill. On October
6/7, 1965 the battalion was nominated by the GOC for the task of
attacking and capturing the area where the Pakistani infiltrators had
managed to build up their defences. The attack by the battalion was
launched with great courage and determination. However, due to wrong
intelligence assessment of enemy strength and disposition with
insufficient time to reorient itself and very little fire support, the
battalion suffered heavy casualties and the attack was beaten back by a
battalion strength of Pakistanis. The battalion took part in second
attack on enemy position in conjunction with other battalions. In this
operation, B company laid an ambush and captured one Pakistani officer.
 Capt C N Singh of
the "Superb Second " won the only MVC of the regiment during
the 1965 operations. Reacting to specific information about presence of
infiltrators, Capt CN Singh attacked them with great ferocity and valour.
In a close quarter hand-to-hand fight, he was fatally wounded and later
succumbed to his injuries. For his gallant leadership and valour, he was
awarded the coveted Maha Vir Chakra. The battalion won 1 MVC, 2
SMs and 5 COAS Commendation Cards.
During Cactus
Lily in 1971, the battalion was poised for action but did not
participate in the operations. Consequent to the war, battalion moved to
Allahabad and was tasked to guard the POW camp. The battalion moved to
Chaubatia in 1975 where it carried out its routine training and
administrative activities. In one such training activity, the battalion
undertook a route march from Chaubatia to Asan field firing ranges to participate
in field firing. Next two years saw the battalion holding extended
defences based on DCB at Pallanwala.
During
the tenure at Kharian from 1978 to 1982, sports teams performed
exceedingly well and brought laurels to the battalion. Its Pipes and Drums
were adjudged best in the division for two years in succession. The
battalion’s mine-laying team topped in corps competition and football
team won the Garhwal Cup.
The unit
moved to Arunanchal Pradesh and was commended for constructing permanent
defences for a ‘Battalion Defended Area’ in high altitude. From 1985 to
1988, the battalion was located at Samba. The unit pipers and drummers
were highly acclaimed for their performance in the Republic Day Parade in
1986. During this tenure, a number of senior officers visited the
battalion and expressed their satisfaction at the overall standard
achieved by the battalion. After a stint of three years on the Line of
Control at Budhwal (J&K), the battalion moved to Kolkata and had the
good fortune of staying in proper KLP accommodation after 1967.
During
this tenure, the battalion had the opportunity of providing a guard of
honour to the President of India. The unit also had the rare distinction
of providing guard to the ‘Z’ category Army Commander for a period of
eleven months which bears testimony to the high professionalism and faith
with which the battalion was looked upon. During this period, the
battalion was awarded 29 GOC-in-C Commendation Cards. Ayodhya riots in
December 1992 saw the unit in action in IS duties which enabled the unit
to earn six COAS Commendation Cards. The conduct of IS duties in
communally sensitive Kolkata was appreciated by the Government of West
Bengal.
The
battalion was deployed in J&K from May 1994 to September 1996 for
operation Rakshak. The battalion performed exceedingly well and
virtually exterminated militants from the battalion’s area of
responsibility. Due to the efforts of the battalion, 67 militants were
killed and 101 apprehended whereas 32 militants surrendered. The arms captured
by the battalion included 93 rifles, 4 UMGs, 34 pistols and 3 RPGs.
Not only
did the battalion achieve distinction in containing militancy in the area
of responsibility but it also undertook a number of successful civic
action projects to win the hearts of the people. The battalion was
handpicked to provide security during Amarnath Yatra of 1994. The
efforts were lauded by one and all as the Yatra passed off without
a single attack. The unit was awarded the coveted Chief of Army Staff and
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command citations for the
excellent work done during operation Rakshak. Gen K V Krishna Rao
(Retd), the Governor of J&K visited the battalion. Later, he
presented a silver plaque in recognition of the sacrifices of all ranks
of the battalion. The battalion won 1 Shaurya Chakra, 9 Sena Medals,
1 Vishisht Seva Medal, 10 COAS Commendation Cards and 9 GOC-in-C’s
Commendation Cards.
Consequent
to a gruelling tenure during operation Rakshak, the battalion
moved to Meerut for a well-deserved peace tenure. Training and welfare
activities were accorded the desired priority. The unit held the rare
distinction of hosting a Chinese delegation which was on a training visit
to the formation. The battalion got deployed on western borders in June
1999 for operation Vijay.
In
October 1999, the battalion moved to the heavenly abode of Joshimath. A
sudden move and deployment of the battalion in January 2000 for operation
Rakshak truncated the tenure at Joshimath. The battalion not only
successfully checked the infiltration but also unearthed a series of
caches. The unit was highly appreciated for holding a medical camp at a
stones throw distance from the Line of Control.
The
battalion returned to Rudraprayag on December 12 last year to celebrate
hundred years of its existence and service to the nation. Although
preparation for centenary celebrations were accorded top priority, due
attention was paid towards training. An aerial reconnaissance of the operational
area was carried out by Col HS Sodhi, Commanding Officer and Lt Col R K
Raina, Second-in-Command. Immediately after settling down, the unit went
to Asan field firing ranges and conducted field firing in January this
year and an interpass partol led by Maj R K Chauhan was also carried out.
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