Infantry Day 2026 (27 Oct) – 80th observance; honours 1 Sikh's 1947 air-landing at Srinagar
26 October 2026 · English Important Days
Topics: Important Days · 26 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)
News
The Indian Army observes 'Infantry Day' (Shaurya Diwas) every year on 27 Oct. On 27 Oct 1947 the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment (1 SIKH) was flown from Palam airfield, Delhi, in Dakota aircraft and air-landed at Srinagar airfield, where it beat back tribal raiders backed by the Pakistan Army – the first military operation of independent India. Since the 79th Infantry Day was observed in 2025, 2026 marks the 80th. The Infantry is the Indian Army's largest fighting arm ('Queen of the Battle').
Key facts
| Day | 27 Oct – Infantry Day / Shaurya Diwas; 2026 – 80th |
| 1947 event | 1 SIKH – Palam (Delhi) → Srinagar airfield, 27 Oct 1947 |
| Commander | Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai – killed on 27 Oct 1947 itself; first Maha Vir Chakra (posthumous) |
| Instrument of Accession | 26 Oct 1947 – signed by Maharaja Hari Singh; accepted by Mountbatten on 27 Oct |
| Invasion | Pakistan's 'Operation Gulmarg' – Oct 1947 (via Muzaffarabad) |
| Training | Infantry School – Mhow (Dr. Ambedkar Nagar), Madhya Pradesh |
Background
- History: in October 1947 Pakistan sent tribal lashkars into Jammu & Kashmir under the code name 'Operation Gulmarg'; they advanced through Muzaffarabad and Baramulla towards Srinagar. On 26 Oct 1947 Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India; Governor-General Mountbatten accepted it on 27 Oct, the day Indian troops landed at Srinagar.
- Heroes: 1 SIKH's commanding officer Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai (born 1913, Gujranwala) was killed in action on the Baramulla–Srinagar road on 27 Oct 1947 itself; he was the first recipient of the Maha Vir Chakra (posthumous). Major Somnath Sharma (4th Bn, Kumaon Regiment), killed at the Battle of Badgam on 3 Nov 1947, was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.
- Polity: the Instrument of Accession ceded three subjects – defence, external affairs and communications – to India; Article 370 later gave special status. Article 370 was rendered inoperative in Aug 2019, and two Union Territories, J&K and Ladakh, came into being on 31 Oct 2019.
- Training: the Infantry School is at Mhow in Indore district, Madhya Pradesh; its Commando Wing is at Belgaum, Karnataka. Mhow, the birthplace of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, was renamed 'Dr. Ambedkar Nagar' in 2003.
Tamil Nadu link: Major Mukund Varadarajan, who grew up in Tambaram, Chennai (Rajput Regiment; 44th Rashtriya Rifles) – an infantry officer – was killed fighting terrorists in Shopian, Kashmir, on 25 Apr 2014 and was awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award (posthumously). He was commissioned from the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, in 2006. His life was filmed as the Tamil movie 'Amaran' (2024).
Source: All India Radio News (79th Infantry Day, 27 Oct 2025); WION; The Tribune; GKToday; Wikipedia (Dewan Ranjit Rai, Somnath Sharma, Mhow, Mukund Varadarajan)
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