October 27 is celebrated as Infantry Day by the Indian Army as it was on this day in 1947 that an infantry company of the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment was airlifted from Delhi to Srinagar to liberate Kashmir from the invading tribal irregulars who were supported by the Pakistan army.

• The first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru had ordered the action after Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession under which the princely state of Kashmir joined India.
• Nearly 5,000 tribal irregulars supported by the Pakistan army had invaded the Kashmir valley from Abbottabad in early October 1947.
• The operation was named ‘Operation Gulmarg’ and its purpose was to annex J&K. The problem escalated when a tribal rebellion was instigated in Poonch in south-west Kashmir.
• By October 20, the Pakistan army entered the conflict in support of the irregulars. It was then that Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession.
• Soon after, Nehru ordered the Indian Army to repel the invaders. For this infantry-centric operation, the 1st Battalion of the Sikh Regiment was airlifted from Delhi.
• The flushing out operation began on October 27, which is commemorated as Infantry Day every year
• The day is observed to commemorate the unparalleled saga of grit and valour of all infantry men serving the nation.
• Infantry, the prime arm of the Indian Army, is replete with the glorious history of warfare over centuries.