KOLKATA: A contingent of the 'Bengal Sappers' regiment will march in the Republic Day parade on Tuesday at New Delhi, a Defence official said.
The Bengal Sappers contingent will be led by Major Piyush Sharma, the only contingent commander in the 2021 Republic Day parade to have been a recipient of Sena Medal (Gallantry), the official said.
Raised on November 7, 1803 at Cawnpore, Bengal Sappers has earned the honour of 80 battle honours and 11 theatre honours, the official said.
The first parade commander of the Republic Day Parade in 1950 was a Bengal Sapper Officer, Lt Gen J S Dhillon, the spokesman said.
The military engineering regiment built the longest, 1153 feet floating bailey bridge in any theatre of war during the 1944 Burma campaign.
He said that the contingent has four participant junior commissioned officers (JCOs) who have represented India and brought laurels, among whom are Subedar Kapil Sharma, who won the bronze medal in Rowing in the 2014 Asian Games and Subedar Sunil Kumar, winner of the gold medal in Rowing in the South Asian Games in 2014.