Parachute Regiment (India) - Meghdoot Force and The Raising of The Para Commandos

Meghdoot Force and The Raising of The Para Commandos

In the 1965 war, a small band of volunteers under a Guards officer, Maj Megh Singh, performed feats which necessitated it to be formed into a special operations unit. Originally to form part of the Brigade of the Guards, but due to the parachute qualification being an essential part of commando training, the unit was transferred to the Parachute Regiment and raised as the 9th Battalion (Commando), The Parachute Regiment on July 1, 1966. On July 1, 1967, the battalion was split into two and both brought up to strength as the 9th and the 10th Para Commando Battalions. In 1978, 1st Para Bn, was designated as the third commando battalion. The three commando battalions performed in all theatres of combat India was involved in. The IPKF operations in Sri Lanka necessitated the three battalions to be integrated for smooth conduct and coordination of operations and the HQ Special Forces was raised. On 1 February 1996, 21st Battalion, the Maratha Light Infantry was officially redesignated as the 21st Battalion (Special Forces) though it was under conversion since 1994.

In 1999, 2 Para Bn was also converted to Special Forces followed a few years later by the 3rd and the 4th battalions. In 2010, 11 Para SF was raised in Agra to augment the strength of the special forces.