50th Parachute Brigade (India)

The 50th Parachute Brigade saw extensive action in the Kashmir operations of 1947-48. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Parachute Regiment each won a battle honour in the Jammu & Kashmir theater. The brigade commander, Brig. Mohammad Usman, was killed in action on July 3, 1948, and was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra posthumously.[2]

The brigade took part in the annexation of Goa along with 17th Indian Infantry Division. Although the 50th Parachute Brigade was charged with merely assisting the main thrust conducted by the 17th Division, its units moved rapidly across minefields, roadblocks and four riverine obstacles to be the first to reach Panjim.[3]

On the morning of 18 December, the 50th Parachute Brigade moved into Goa in three columns.

1. The eastern column, comprising the 2nd battalion, Parachute Regiment, advanced via the town of Ponda in central Goa.
2. The central column, comprising the 1st battalion, Parachute Regiment, advanced via the village of Banastari.
3. The western column - the main thrust of the attack - comprised the 2nd battalion, Sikh Light Infantry as well as an armoured division which crossed the border at 0630 hours in the morning and advanced along Tivim.

The western column, facing no resistance, reached the town of Betim at 1700 hours, just a 500 metre wide river crossing away from Panjim, the capital town. In the absence of orders, the units set camp at Betim and proceeded to secure areas up and down the riverfront.

The order to cross the river was received on the morning of 19 December, upon which two rifle companies advanced on Panjim at 0730 hours and secured the town without facing any resistance. On orders from Brig. Sagat Singh, the troops entering Panjim removed their steel helmets and donned the Parachute Regiment's maroon berets. As the men marched into the town, they were welcomed as liberators by the locals.

The 50 Parachute Brigade was tasked with capturing of the Jallo railway bridge. Despite being a newly raised battalion 6 Para of the Parachute Regiment with superb battle drill and fighting spirit attacked the Jallo railway bridge enduring stiff resistance and heavy artillery fire. The unit successfully captured and occupied the bridge on September 17 raising the success signal ‘Ghora’.The officers and men in the brigade were overjoyed with this operationally critical capture.

In 1971, the brigade saw numerous actions both in the eastern and western theatres. For the first time in the annals of independent India's history, an airborne infantry battle group, formed around the 2nd battalion, Parachute Regiment, was dropped at Tangail, which contributed substantially to speeding up the liberation of Bangladesh. Elements of 2 Para became the first Indian troops to enter Dhaka. The 50th Parachute Brigade saw action initially in Bangladesh with 2 Para in the airborne role, 7 Para as the advance guard, and the rest of the brigade in a ground role. The brigade then moved to assist its sister brigade in the western sector, thus becoming the only formation to see action on both fronts.

In response to an attempted coup d'état in the Maldives, and on the request of Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Indian Army launched Operation Cactus. The operation started on the night of 3 November 1988, when Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft of the Indian Air Force airlifted elements of the 50th Independent Parachute Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Farukh Bulsara, from Agra Air Force Station and flew them non-stop over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi) to land them over the Malé International Airport on Hulhulé Island. The 6th battalion The Parachute Regiment (6 Para), commanded by Col Subash Joshi,[4] and the 17th Parachute Field Regiment made up the first wave, followed by the 7th battalion, Parachute Regiment as the second wave. The paratroopers arrived in Hulhule nine hours after the appeal from President Gayoom. They immediately secured the airfield, crossed over to Male using commandeered boats and rescued President Gayoom. The paratroopers restored control of the capital to President Gayoom's government within hours.

The 50th Parachute Brigade, at the time consisting of the 6th, 7th and 1st battalions of the Parachute Regiment and an ATGM detachment of the 19th battalion, Brigade of the Guards, was deployed in the Mushkoh Valley as the Army HQ reserve. Elements of the brigade were awarded with the COAS Unit Citation for their performance in clearing the Mushkoh valley intrusions.