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11 GORKHA RIFLES At the time of Independence when the division of the Indian Armed Forces was being done the question of the future employment of Gorkha troops also came up. At that time there were ten Gorkha Regiments in the Indian Army, each with two battalions. Troops of the 7th and 10th Gorkha Rifles hailed from Eastern Nepal and were mainly of Rai and Limbu ethnic groups. Transfer of troops to the British Army was to be on a purely voluntary basis. A referendum was held in the presence of the representatives of the Indian and Nepalese Governments. Troops from the 7th and 10th Gorkha Rifles opted against the transfer to the British Army in large numbers. 2/7 GR - located at Santa Cruz, Mumbai - as a whole opted against transfer to the British Army. There was no Gorkha Regiment, left in the Indian Army with troops from Eastern Nepal. Keeping in mind the large numbers of non-optees and their fighting qualities it was decided to re-raise the 11th Gorkha Rifles. Official orders

9 GORKHA RIFLES The history of the 9 Gorkha Rifles dates back to 1817, when it was raised at Infantry Levy at Fatehgarh. In 1823, it became a regular unit as part of the Bengal Native Infantry. After the reorganisations post 1857, the designation was changed to 9 Bengal Native Infantry with one of its companies formed by Gorkhas and other. By then the Regiment had fought at Bharatpur and in the difficult battle of Sobraon in the Ango-Sikh War. In 1901, the Regiment was designated 9 Gorkha Rifles. Its Regimental Centre is Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and its Regimental insignia is a pair of crossed khukris (a Gorkha dagger) with the numeral 9 below. Its Regimental motto is ‘Kafar Bhanda Marnu Ramro’ (Better  to Die than Live Like a Coward) and its war cry is ‘Ayo Gorkhali’ meaning 'The Gorkhas Are Here'.