9 Gorkha Rifles

The 9 Gorkha Rifles is a Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment was one of the Gurkha regiments transferred to the Indian Army after independence as part of the tripartite agreement. This Gorkha regiment dominantly recruits soldiers from Chhetri (Kshatriya) and Thakuri clans. Domiciled Indian Gorkhas are also taken, who form about 20 percent of the total strength of the regiment.

History

The history of the 9 Gorkha Rifles dates back to 1817, when it was raised at Infantry Levy at Fatehgarh as Fatehgarh Levy. In 1823, it became 63rd Regiment a regular unit as part of the Bengal Native Infantry. After the reorganisations post-1857, the designation was changed to 9th Bengal Native Infantry with one of its companies formed by Gorkhas and other hillmen. By then the Regiment had fought at Bhartpur and in the difficult Battle of Sobraon in the First Anglo-Sikh War.

By 1893, the regiment became a wholly Gorkha unit of Khas origin,ie; those who were more closely linked to Hindu ways as compared to the Buddhist ways. In 1903, the Regiment was designated 9th Gurkha Rifles.

The first battalion, 1/9 GR, was one of the two units along with a Baluch unit involved in opening fire on 13 April, 1919, at the Jalianwala Bagh, Amritsar, on orders of the now-infamous Brig Gen REH Dyer.

9 GR fought in World War I in Europe and in the inter war years took part in the operations in the North West Frontier. In World War II, it fought in Italy and North Africa. The 3/9 GR and 4/9 GR formed...
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