Sikkim Scouts - Revision history

Prabhash Sharma: minor cleanup

2026-01-14T06:31:56Z

minor cleanup

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:01, 14 January 2026
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			{{Short description\|Regiment of the Indian Army}}
	{{about\|the military unit\|the youth movement in Sikkim\|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}		{{about\|the military unit\|the youth movement in Sikkim\|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=August 2019}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=August 2019}}
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	\| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts		\| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts
	\| image = Sikkim Scouts Regimantal flag.jpg		\| image = Sikkim Scouts Regimantal flag.jpg
	\| caption = Sikkim Scouts ~~Regimantal~~ insignia and flag		\| caption = Sikkim Scouts Regimental insignia and flag
	\| dates = 2013–present		\| dates = 2013–present
	\| country = {{flag\|India}}		\| country = {{flag\|India}}
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	\| website =		\| website =
	\| commander1 =		\| commander1 =
	\| commander1_label = Colonel		\| commander1_label = Colonel of the Regiment
	\| commander2 =		\| commander2 =
	\| commander2_label =		\| commander2_label =
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	\| current_commander =		\| current_commander =
	}}		}}
	The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army\|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the ~~youngest~~ Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]]. Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the [[11th Gorkha Rifles]], and uses its insignia and flag, with the addition of the words ‘Sikkim Scouts’.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.eastmojo.com/sikkim/2020/01/09/why-does-cds-general-bipin-rawat-always-wear-sikkim-scouts-tab/\|title=why does cds general bipin rawat always-wear sikkim scouts tab}}www.eastmojo.com</ref>		The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army\|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the newest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]]. Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the [[11th Gorkha Rifles]], and uses its insignia and flag, with the addition of the words ‘Sikkim Scouts’.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.eastmojo.com/sikkim/2020/01/09/why-does-cds-general-bipin-rawat-always-wear-sikkim-scouts-tab/\|title=why does cds general bipin rawat always-wear sikkim scouts tab\|date=9 January 2020 }}www.eastmojo.com</ref>

	== History ==		== History ==
	[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India\|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert\|222\|km\|miles\|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 \|title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners \|editor= Tocci, Nathalie \|author-link=Nathalie Tocci \|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies \|year= 2008 \|isbn=978-9290797791 \|pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book\|page=80\|first=Satish\|last=Kumar\|chapter=India and the Himalayan states\|title= Handbook of India's International Relations\|editor=Scott, David\|isbn= 978-1136811319\|publisher= Routledge\|year=2011}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book\|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal\|editor=Orton, Anna\|publisher=Epitome Books\|year=2010\|isbn=978-9380297156\|pages=51–53, 63–64\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations\|pages=390–391\|editor=Gogia, S. C.\|publisher=Hardy & Ally India\|location=New Delhi\|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book\|page=40\|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas\|first=Keshav \|last=Mishra\|publisher=Gyan\|year= 2004\|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Feng \|first1=Cheng\|last2=Wortzel\|first2=Larry M.\|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel\|page=188\| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188\|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War\|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 \|editor1=Ryan, Mark A. \|editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. \|editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.\|publisher=M.E. Sharpe\|year=2003\|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf\|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009\|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense\|location=Washington, D.C.\|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news\|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=5 September 2008\|newspaper=Asia Times Online\|date=27 June 2008\|title=China toys with India's border\|first= Sudha \|last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of\|2014\|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>		[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India\|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert\|222\|km\|miles\|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 \|title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners \|editor= Tocci, Nathalie \|author-link=Nathalie Tocci \|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies \|year= 2008 \|isbn=978-9290797791 \|pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book\|page=80\|first=Satish\|last=Kumar\|chapter=India and the Himalayan states\|title= Handbook of India's International Relations\|editor=Scott, David\|isbn= 978-1136811319\|publisher= Routledge\|year=2011}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book\|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal\|editor=Orton, Anna\|publisher=Epitome Books\|year=2010\|isbn=978-9380297156\|pages=51–53, 63–64\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations\|pages=390–391\|editor=Gogia, S. C.\|publisher=Hardy & Ally India\|location=New Delhi\|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book\|page=40\|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas\|first=Keshav \|last=Mishra\|publisher=Gyan\|year= 2004\|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Feng \|first1=Cheng\|last2=Wortzel\|first2=Larry M.\|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel\|page=188\| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188\|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War\|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 \|editor1=Ryan, Mark A. \|editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. \|editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.\|publisher=M.E. Sharpe\|year=2003\|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228040544/http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/China_Military_Power_Report_2009.pdf\|url-status=dead\|archive-date=28 February 2010\|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009\|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense\|location=Washington, D.C.\|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news\|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=5 September 2008\|newspaper=Asia Times Online\|date=27 June 2008\|title=China toys with India's border\|first= Sudha \|last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of\|2014\|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>

	[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news\|newspaper=The Tribune\|edition=Chandigarh\|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm\|date=7 December 2012\|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim\|first=Ajay\|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html\|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015\|website=Defence Now\|date=December 2012\|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>		[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news\|newspaper=The Tribune\|edition=Chandigarh\|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm\|date=7 December 2012\|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim\|first=Ajay\|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html\|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015\|website=Defence Now\|date=December 2012\|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>

	In March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enrol roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/\|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3\|date=17 February 2013\|website=iSikkim\|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/\|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March\|website=iSikkim\|date=15 February 2013}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/\|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts\|website=iSikkim\|date=10 May 2013}}</ref>		In March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enrol roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/\|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3\|date=17 February 2013\|website=iSikkim\|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/\|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March\|website=iSikkim\|date=15 February 2013}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/\|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts\|website=iSikkim\|date=10 May 2013}}</ref>
			[[File:The Army Vice Chief, Lt. Gen. S.K. Singh, who is also the ‘President of the Gorkha Brigade’, unveiling the flag of Sikkim Scouts, at Lucknow on May 24, 2013.jpg\|thumb\|right\|The Army Vice Chief, Lt Gen SK Singh, unveiling the flag of Sikkim Scouts, at Lucknow on May 24, 2013]]

	The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)\|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre\|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)\|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release\|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==\|author=Indian Army\|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts \|date=27 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html\|work=Z News\|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013\|publisher=Zee Media\|date=28 December 2013}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>		The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)\|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre\|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)\|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release\|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==\|author=Indian Army\|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts \|date=27 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html\|work=Z News\|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013\|publisher=Zee Media\|date=28 December 2013}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>

Bot at 13:07, 13 July 2022

2022-07-13T13:07:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:37, 13 July 2022
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	{{about\|the military unit\|the youth movement in Sikkim\|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}		{{about\|the military unit\|the youth movement in Sikkim\|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=August ~~2022~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=August 2019}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=August ~~2022~~}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=August 2019}}
	{{Infobox military unit		{{Infobox military unit
	\| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts		\| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts
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	\| type = [[Infantry]]		\| type = [[Infantry]]
	\| role = [[Mountain warfare]]		\| role = [[Mountain warfare]]
	\| size = Two [[battalion]]s<ref name=Inderjit>{{cite news\|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-finish-building-china-border-infrastructure-by-18-rao-inderjit/ \|title=Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018\|first=Rao \|last=Inderjit\|newspaper=The Indian Express\|date= May ~~2022~~}}</ref>		\| size = Two [[battalion]]s<ref name=Inderjit>{{cite news\|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-finish-building-china-border-infrastructure-by-18-rao-inderjit/ \|title=Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018\|first=Rao \|last=Inderjit\|newspaper=The Indian Express\|date= May 2015}}</ref>
	\| command_structure =		\| command_structure =
	\| garrison =		\| garrison =
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	The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army\|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the youngest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]]. Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the [[11th Gorkha Rifles]], and uses its insignia and flag, with the addition of the words ‘Sikkim Scouts’.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.eastmojo.com/sikkim/2020/01/09/why-does-cds-general-bipin-rawat-always-wear-sikkim-scouts-tab/\|title=why does cds general bipin rawat always-wear sikkim scouts tab}}www.eastmojo.com</ref>		The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army\|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the youngest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]]. Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the [[11th Gorkha Rifles]], and uses its insignia and flag, with the addition of the words ‘Sikkim Scouts’.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.eastmojo.com/sikkim/2020/01/09/why-does-cds-general-bipin-rawat-always-wear-sikkim-scouts-tab/\|title=why does cds general bipin rawat always-wear sikkim scouts tab}}www.eastmojo.com</ref>
	== History ==		== History ==
	[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India\|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert\|222\|km\|miles\|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 \|title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners \|editor= Tocci, Nathalie \|author-link=Nathalie Tocci \|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies \|year= 2008 \|isbn=978-9290797791 \|pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book\|page=80\|first=Satish\|last=Kumar\|chapter=India and the Himalayan states\|title= Handbook of India's International Relations\|editor=Scott, David\|isbn= 978-1136811319\|publisher= Routledge\|year=~~2022~~}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book\|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal\|editor=Orton, Anna\|publisher=Epitome Books\|year=2010\|isbn=978-9380297156\|pages=51–53, 63–64\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations\|pages=390–391\|editor=Gogia, S. C.\|publisher=Hardy & Ally India\|location=New Delhi\|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book\|page=40\|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas\|first=Keshav \|last=Mishra\|publisher=Gyan\|year= 2004\|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Feng \|first1=Cheng\|last2=Wortzel\|first2=Larry M.\|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel\|page=188\| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188\|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War\|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 \|editor1=Ryan, Mark A. \|editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. \|editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.\|publisher=M.E. Sharpe\|year=2003\|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf\|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009\|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense\|location=Washington, D.C.\|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news\|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=5 September 2008\|newspaper=Asia Times Online\|date=27 June 2008\|title=China toys with India's border\|first= Sudha \|last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of\|2014\|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>		[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India\|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert\|222\|km\|miles\|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 \|title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners \|editor= Tocci, Nathalie \|author-link=Nathalie Tocci \|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies \|year= 2008 \|isbn=978-9290797791 \|pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book\|page=80\|first=Satish\|last=Kumar\|chapter=India and the Himalayan states\|title= Handbook of India's International Relations\|editor=Scott, David\|isbn= 978-1136811319\|publisher= Routledge\|year=2011}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book\|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal\|editor=Orton, Anna\|publisher=Epitome Books\|year=2010\|isbn=978-9380297156\|pages=51–53, 63–64\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations\|pages=390–391\|editor=Gogia, S. C.\|publisher=Hardy & Ally India\|location=New Delhi\|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book\|page=40\|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas\|first=Keshav \|last=Mishra\|publisher=Gyan\|year= 2004\|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Feng \|first1=Cheng\|last2=Wortzel\|first2=Larry M.\|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel\|page=188\| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188\|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War\|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 \|editor1=Ryan, Mark A. \|editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. \|editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.\|publisher=M.E. Sharpe\|year=2003\|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf\|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009\|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense\|location=Washington, D.C.\|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news\|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=5 September 2008\|newspaper=Asia Times Online\|date=27 June 2008\|title=China toys with India's border\|first= Sudha \|last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of\|2014\|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>

	[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news\|newspaper=The Tribune\|edition=Chandigarh\|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm\|date=7 December 2012\|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim\|first=Ajay\|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html\|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015\|website=Defence Now\|date=December 2012\|access-date=13 September ~~2022~~}}</ref>		[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news\|newspaper=The Tribune\|edition=Chandigarh\|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm\|date=7 December 2012\|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim\|first=Ajay\|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html\|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015\|website=Defence Now\|date=December 2012\|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>

	In March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enrol roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/\|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3\|date=17 February 2013\|website=iSikkim\|access-date=13 September ~~2022~~}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/\|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March\|website=iSikkim\|date=15 February ~~2022~~}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/\|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts\|website=iSikkim\|date=10 May ~~2022~~}}</ref>		In March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enrol roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/\|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3\|date=17 February 2013\|website=iSikkim\|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/\|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March\|website=iSikkim\|date=15 February 2013}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/\|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts\|website=iSikkim\|date=10 May 2013}}</ref>

	The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)\|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre\|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)\|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release\|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==\|author=Indian Army\|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts \|date=27 May ~~2022~~}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html\|work=Z News\|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013\|publisher=Zee Media\|date=28 December ~~2022~~}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>		The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)\|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre\|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)\|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release\|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==\|author=Indian Army\|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts \|date=27 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html\|work=Z News\|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013\|publisher=Zee Media\|date=28 December 2013}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>

	== Organisation ==		== Organisation ==

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	{{about\|the military unit\|the youth movement in Sikkim\|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}		{{about\|the military unit\|the youth movement in Sikkim\|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=August ~~2019~~}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=August 2022}}
	{{Use Indian English\|date=August ~~2019~~}}		{{Use Indian English\|date=August 2022}}
	{{Infobox military unit		{{Infobox military unit
	\| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts		\| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts
	\| image =		\| image = Sikkim Scouts Regimantal flag.jpg
	\| caption =		\| caption = Sikkim Scouts Regimantal insignia and flag
	\| dates = 2013–present		\| dates = 2013–present
	\| country = {{flag\|India}}		\| country = {{flag\|India}}
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	\| type = [[Infantry]]		\| type = [[Infantry]]
	\| role = [[Mountain warfare]]		\| role = [[Mountain warfare]]
	\| size = Two [[battalion]]s<ref name=Inderjit>{{cite news\|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-finish-building-china-border-infrastructure-by-18-rao-inderjit/ \|title=Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018\|first=Rao \|last=Inderjit\|newspaper=The Indian Express\|date= May ~~2015~~}}</ref>		\| size = Two [[battalion]]s<ref name=Inderjit>{{cite news\|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-finish-building-china-border-infrastructure-by-18-rao-inderjit/ \|title=Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018\|first=Rao \|last=Inderjit\|newspaper=The Indian Express\|date= May 2022}}</ref>
	\| command_structure =		\| command_structure =
	\| garrison =		\| garrison =
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	\| equipment_label =		\| equipment_label =
	\| website =		\| website =
	\| commander1 = ~~[[General]] [[Bipin Rawat]]~~		\| commander1 =
	\| commander1_label = Colonel		\| commander1_label = Colonel
	\| commander2 =		\| commander2 =
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	\| current_commander =		\| current_commander =
	}}		}}
	The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army\|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the youngest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]].		The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army\|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the youngest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]]. Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the [[11th Gorkha Rifles]], and uses its insignia and flag, with the addition of the words ‘Sikkim Scouts’.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.eastmojo.com/sikkim/2020/01/09/why-does-cds-general-bipin-rawat-always-wear-sikkim-scouts-tab/\|title=why does cds general bipin rawat always-wear sikkim scouts tab}}www.eastmojo.com</ref>

	== History ==		== History ==
	[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India\|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert\|222\|km\|miles\|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 \|title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners \|editor= Tocci, Nathalie \|author-link=Nathalie Tocci \|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies \|year= 2008 \|isbn=978-9290797791 \|pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book\|page=80\|first=Satish\|last=Kumar\|chapter=India and the Himalayan states\|title= Handbook of India's International Relations\|editor=Scott, David\|isbn= 978-1136811319\|publisher= Routledge\|year=~~2011~~}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book\|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal\|editor=Orton, Anna\|publisher=Epitome Books\|year=2010\|isbn=978-9380297156\|pages=51–53, 63–64\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations\|pages=390–391\|editor=Gogia, S. C.\|publisher=Hardy & Ally India\|location=New Delhi\|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book\|page=40\|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas\|first=Keshav \|last=Mishra\|publisher=Gyan\|year= 2004\|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Feng \|first1=Cheng\|last2=Wortzel\|first2=Larry M.\|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel\|page=188\| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188\|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War\|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 \|editor1=Ryan, Mark A. \|editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. \|editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.\|publisher=M.E. Sharpe\|year=2003\|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf\|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009\|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense\|location=Washington, D.C.\|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news\|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=5 September 2008\|newspaper=Asia Times Online\|date=27 June 2008\|title=China toys with India's border\|first= Sudha \|last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of\|2014\|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>		[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India\|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert\|222\|km\|miles\|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 \|title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners \|editor= Tocci, Nathalie \|author-link=Nathalie Tocci \|publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies \|year= 2008 \|isbn=978-9290797791 \|pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book\|page=80\|first=Satish\|last=Kumar\|chapter=India and the Himalayan states\|title= Handbook of India's International Relations\|editor=Scott, David\|isbn= 978-1136811319\|publisher= Routledge\|year=2022}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book\|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal\|editor=Orton, Anna\|publisher=Epitome Books\|year=2010\|isbn=978-9380297156\|pages=51–53, 63–64\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations\|pages=390–391\|editor=Gogia, S. C.\|publisher=Hardy & Ally India\|location=New Delhi\|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book\|page=40\|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas\|first=Keshav \|last=Mishra\|publisher=Gyan\|year= 2004\|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Feng \|first1=Cheng\|last2=Wortzel\|first2=Larry M.\|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel\|page=188\| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188\|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War\|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 \|editor1=Ryan, Mark A. \|editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. \|editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.\|publisher=M.E. Sharpe\|year=2003\|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf\|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009\|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense\|location=Washington, D.C.\|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news\|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html\|url-status=unfit\|archive-date=5 September 2008\|newspaper=Asia Times Online\|date=27 June 2008\|title=China toys with India's border\|first= Sudha \|last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of\|2014\|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>

	[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news\|newspaper=The Tribune\|edition=Chandigarh\|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm\|date=7 December 2012\|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim\|first=Ajay\|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html\|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015\|website=Defence Now\|date=December 2012\|access-date=13 September ~~2014~~}}</ref>		[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)\|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news\|newspaper=The Tribune\|edition=Chandigarh\|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm\|date=7 December 2012\|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim\|first=Ajay\|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html\|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015\|website=Defence Now\|date=December 2012\|access-date=13 September 2022}}</ref>

	~~During~~ March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to ~~enroll~~ roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/\|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3\|date=17 February 2013\|website=iSikkim\|access-date=13 September ~~2014~~}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/\|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March\|website=iSikkim\|date=15 February ~~2013~~}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/\|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts\|website=iSikkim\|date=10 May ~~2013~~}}</ref>		In March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enrol roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/\|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3\|date=17 February 2013\|website=iSikkim\|access-date=13 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/\|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March\|website=iSikkim\|date=15 February 2022}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/\|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts\|website=iSikkim\|date=10 May 2022}}</ref>

	The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)\|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre\|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)\|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release\|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==\|author=Indian Army\|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts \|date=27 May ~~2013~~}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html\|work=Z News\|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013\|publisher=Zee Media\|date=28 December ~~2013~~}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>		The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)\|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre\|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)\|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release\|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==\|author=Indian Army\|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts \|date=27 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web\|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html\|work=Z News\|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013\|publisher=Zee Media\|date=28 December 2022}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>

	== Organisation ==		== Organisation ==

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{{about|the military unit|the youth movement in Sikkim|The Bharat Scouts and Guides}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Sikkim Scouts
| image =
| caption =
| dates = 2013–present
| country = {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{army|India}}
| type = [[Infantry]]
| role = [[Mountain warfare]]
| size = Two [[battalion]]s<ref name=Inderjit>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/will-finish-building-china-border-infrastructure-by-18-rao-inderjit/ |title=Will finish building China border infrastructure by 2018|first=Rao |last=Inderjit|newspaper=The Indian Express|date= May 2015}}</ref>
| command_structure =
| garrison =
| garrison_label =
| motto =
| march =
| equipment =
| equipment_label =
| website =
| commander1 = [[General]] [[Bipin Rawat]]
| commander1_label = Colonel
| commander2 =
| commander2_label =
| notable_commanders =
| identification_symbol =
| identification_symbol_label =
| identification_symbol_2 =
| identification_symbol_2_label =
| current_commander =
}}
The '''Sikkim Scouts''' is a [[List of regiments of the Indian Army|regiment]] of the [[Indian Army]] based in and recruited from the state of [[Sikkim]]. Raised in 2013 and made operational in 2015, it is the youngest Indian Army regiment. The regiment was formed along the lines of the [[Ladakh Scouts]] and [[Arunachal Scouts]], as it is similarly recruited from a mountainous border area and is dedicated to border defence and [[mountain warfare]].

== History ==
[[Sikkim]] became a [[States and union territories of India|state of India]] in 1975, after having been a British and then Indian [[protectorate]] for nearly a century. Even as a protectorate, Indian troops were stationed in Sikkim, because of the area's important role as a [[buffer zone]] against [[China]], with which it shares a {{convert|222|km|miles|abbr=on}} border.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M8ED-CZU6fUC&pg=PA235 |title=Who is a Normative Foreign Policy Actor?: The European Union and Its Global Partners |editor= Tocci, Nathalie |author-link=Nathalie Tocci |publisher=Centre for European Policy Studies |year= 2008 |isbn=978-9290797791 |pages=235–237 }}</ref><ref name=Pramod/> China did not clearly recognize Sikkim as an Indian state until the 2000s,<ref>{{cite book|page=80|first=Satish|last=Kumar|chapter=India and the Himalayan states|title= Handbook of India's International Relations|editor=Scott, David|isbn= 978-1136811319|publisher= Routledge|year=2011}}</ref> and continues to lay claim to what India refers to as the northernmost "Finger Area" of Sikkim.<ref name=Orton/> The [[Sino-Indian War]] of 1962 saw some fighting on the Sikkimese border<ref name=Orton>{{cite book|title=India's Borderland Disputes: China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal|editor=Orton, Anna|publisher=Epitome Books|year=2010|isbn=978-9380297156|pages=51–53, 63–64|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0RBOnS8KsgcC}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= The Fight for Peace: The Long Road to Tashkent, A Study in Foreign Relations|pages=390–391|editor=Gogia, S. C.|publisher=Hardy & Ally India|location=New Delhi|year=1966}}</ref> and from 1965 to 1967, Indian and Chinese forces clashed on the border, notably during the 1967 [[Chola incident]].<ref>{{cite book|page=40|title=Rapprochement Across the Himalayas|first=Keshav |last=Mishra|publisher=Gyan|year= 2004|isbn=978-8178352947}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Feng |first1=Cheng|last2=Wortzel|first2=Larry M.|authorlink2=Larry Wortzel|page=188| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PsoDGLNmU30C&pg=PA188|chapter=PLA Operational Principles and Limited War|title= Chinese Warfighting: The PLA Experience Since 1949 |editor1=Ryan, Mark A. |editor2=Finkelstein, D. M. |editor3=McDevitt, Michael A.|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|year=2003|isbn=978-0765610874}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes/> More recently, there were small incursions and skirmishes around 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/pubs/pdfs/china_military_power_report_2009.pdf|title=Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009|publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=Asiatimes>{{cite news|url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905125703/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JF27Df01.html|url-status=unfit|archive-date=5 September 2008|newspaper=Asia Times Online|date=27 June 2008|title=China toys with India's border|first= Sudha |last=Ramachandran }}</ref> Several units of the Indian Army and [[Indo-Tibetan Border Police]] are stationed in Sikkim {{as of|2014|lc=y}}. Historically, these troops have been drawn from other parts of India, and not from the local population.<ref name=Pramod/><ref name=flag/>

[[Pawan Kumar Chamling]], [[Chief Minister of Sikkim]] from the [[Sikkim Democratic Front]], requested of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Ministry of Defence]] that the Sikkim Scouts regiment be formed, to provide positions for young men in Sikkim and since all other Himalayan border states had similar forces. (The [[Ladakh Scouts]] were formed in 1963, and the [[Arunachal Scouts]] in 2010, while other Himalayan states have dedicated border security battalions in regular regiments such as the [[Kumaon Regiment]].) The ministry and the Indian Army supported Chamling's proposal, as it was in line with India's "sons of soil" policy to bolster her defence units by integrating locals into them, and on 6 December 2012, the proposal was approved by the [[Cabinet Committee on Security]]. Officials stated at the time that the regiment would be formally established in mid-2015, after the initial recruits had been raised and trained.<ref name=Banerjee>{{cite news|newspaper=The Tribune|edition=Chandigarh|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121208/main6.htm|date=7 December 2012|title='Sons of soil' to guard China border in Sikkim|first=Ajay|last=Banerjee}}</ref> The raising of the regiment was expected to cost some Rs 32.5 [[crore]] (US$5 million). The cost of maintaining the regiment was projected to be a slightly greater amount per year.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defencenow.com/news/1038/sikkim-scouts-to-be-raised-by-2015.html|title=Sikkim Scouts to Be Raised By 2015|website=Defence Now|date=December 2012|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref>

During March 2013, the first recruiting drives for the new regiment were held in Sikkim, which were expected to enroll roughly 500 candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-scouts-recruitment-drive-from-march-3-7-5/|title= Sikkim Scouts recruitment drive from March 3|date=17 February 2013|website=iSikkim|access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-2-sikkim-recruitment-rally-for-local-infantry-force-in-march-15-3/|title= Sikkim: Recruitment rally for local infantry force in March|website=iSikkim|date=15 February 2013}}</ref> Because of the popularity of tattoos among Sikkimese men, many candidates had to be rejected; the Ministry of Defence had issued a policy banning tattoos (other than religious symbols and names) for new recruits to the Indian military in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://isikkim.com/2013-5-200-candidates-with-tattoos-rejected-for-sikkim-scouts-10-1/|title= 200 candidates with tattoos rejected for Sikkim Scouts|website=iSikkim|date=10 May 2013}}</ref>

The regiment was presented with a flag, and formally raised, by Army Vice Chief [[S. K. Singh (general)|S. K. Singh]] at [[Lucknow]] on 24 May 2013. At the time, there were 319 Sikkimese recruits in the regiment, and a [[en cadre|cadre]] from [[Gorkha regiments (India)|Gorkha regiments]] assembled to train the recruits.<ref name=flag/><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://indianarmy.gov.in/Site/PressRelease/frmPressReleaseDetail.aspx?n=bniEtbbo9LN7kb4q3kupGg==&NewsID=DRc1koDDGh1BOX7k5FKX5A==|author=Indian Army|title=Unveiling of Flag of Sikkim Scouts |date=27 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-saw-emergence-of-new-opposition-party-in-2013_899991.html|work=Z News|title= Sikkim saw emergence of new Opposition party in 2013|publisher=Zee Media|date=28 December 2013}}</ref> The process of recruiting and training the regiment was completed in mid-2015.<ref name=Inderjit/>

== Organisation ==
The regiment was initially planned as one [[battalion]]. Its future expansion is limited by the small size of the population from which it recruits. The first battalion's strength planned strength is 934, comprising 28 [[commissioned officer]]s, 44 [[junior commissioned officer]]s and 862 jawans ([[other ranks (UK)|other ranks]]).<ref name=Banerjee/> A second battalion was being raised {{as of|2015|lc=y}}.<ref name=Inderjit/> The regiment is about 85% Sikkimese, drawing from a population of 612,000 with a large portion of military-age men. The relatives of veterans will be given priority for positions.<ref name=Pramod>{{cite news|url=http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx?issue=87352012100200000000001001&page=6&article=072f872c-699e-4746-b533-c90b290abbda&key=p+Sw3QxvEHHHbc8OdzQD9A==&feed=rss|newspaper=Hindustan Times|edition=Kolkata|date=2 October 2012|title=Army to raise Sikkim Scouts battalion for Chinese border|first=Pramod|last=Giri}}</ref>

The Sikkim Scouts is affiliated with the [[11th Gorkha Rifles]], and use their insignia and flag, with the addition of the words "Sikkim Scouts".<ref name=flag>{{cite web|url=http://corecommunique.com/army-vice-chief-unveils-the-flag-of-sikkim-scouts/|title=Army Vice Chief Unveils the Flag of Sikkim Scouts|date=24 May 2013|website=Core Sector Communiqué|editor=Ganguly, C.|location=Kolkata}}</ref>

== Role ==
The soldiers of the Sikkim Scouts are trained in the tactics of [[mountain warfare]]. As the members of the regiment are mostly locals, they are expected to be fairly familiar with the skills needed to operate and survive in the mountainous terrain of Sikkim prior to their enlistment. Their training serves to instruct them in modern methods of warfare and instill military discipline. In an additional advantage to the Indian Army, they are able to obtain information from locals more easily, as they belong to the same culture and speak the same language. Indian Army commanders have expressed the sentiment that in the event of war, members of the Sikkim Scouts and other local regiments from the border would be ready to fight to the end for their home state.<ref name=Banerjee/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/army-to-raise-new-battalions-frm-sikkim-arunachal_627367.html|work=Z News|publisher=Zee Media|date=17 May 2010|title= Army to raise new battalions from Sikkim, Arunachal }}</ref>

The regiment will be tasked with surveilling and guarding the borders of Sikkim, especially the high mountain passes of the north-eastern border with China.<ref name=Banerjee/> While other units of the Indian Army will continue to pass through Sikkim on a temporary (2–3 year) basis, as part of their rotation between different bases in India, the Sikkim Scouts is permanently stationed on the border, and its members will spend nearly their entire career in the state.<ref name=flag/>

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Indian Army Infantry Regiments}}

[[Category:Infantry regiments of the Indian Army from 1947]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 2013]]
[[Category:Sikkim]]