6th Lancers (India)
Indian Army regiment
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The 6th Lancers is an armoured regiment of the Indian Army.
| 6 Lancers | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1984 – present |
| Country |  India |
| Allegiance | India |
| Branch |  Indian Army |
| Type | Armour |
| Size | Regiment |
| Mottos | Dridhta Shaurya Sada Buland (Determination and Valour, always to the fore) |
| Colors | Maroon, French Grey and Forest Green. |
| Equipment | T-90[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Lieutenant General Vivek Kashyap[2] |
| Insignia | |
| Abbreviation | 6L |
Formation
History
Initially, the Regiment was equipped with Vijayanta tanks and was immediately immersed in maintaining law and order in Punjab during Operation Blue Star.[4] The regiment later served in Suratgarh, moving to Samba in 1988 and back to the Punjab in 1992 where it served during Operation Rakshak-II.[3] It served in Operation Rakshak (in Jammu & Kashmir), Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram, during its deployment in Jammu and Kashmir state. The Regiment converted to modern Soviet/Russian T-90 main battle tanks in 2002.
In February 2006, it was re-designated as 6 Lancers, but is not to be confused with the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse), a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army, which was allotted to Pakistan during the Partition.[3]
The first Colonel of the Regiment was Lt Gen Ajai Singh, PVSM, AVSM (Retd) of the Poona Horse.[3] The Regiment celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 2009. The Regiment was presented the President's Standard along with four other Armoured Regiments of the 1 Armoured Division on 27 November 2011 by the then President of India Mrs Prathiba Patil, while at Patiala.[5][6][7] The regiment was awarded GOC-in-C, South Western Command Unit Citation in 2018.[8]
Regimental Insignia
The cap badge of the regiment closely resembles that of its Pakistani counterpart, comprising a pair of crossed lances with pennons and the numeral 6 placed at the junction of the Lances, the whole badge being in white metal. The shoulder title is in brass and initially consisted of the numeral 6, connected to a right-handed armoured fist. After re-designation, the shoulder title now consists of the numeral 6 connected to the capital letter L. The cap badge and shoulder titles are worn by all ranks of the Regiment.[3]