2nd Battalion , Maratha Light Infantry Regiment The Kali Panchwin , now formally called the 2nd Battalion , Maratha Light Infantry Regiment , is one of the oldest battalion s of the Indian Army . It consists of troops known as Ganpats from Maharashtra in Western India . In the 17th century they formed part of Shivaji ' s army that defeated Aurangzeb in the Deccan Plateau . It is now part of the Maratha Light Infantry . Pre - Independence . Formed in 1768 as the 3rd Battalion Bombay Sepoys , the battalion participated in almost all theatres of action in India and overseas , starting with the siege of Seringapatnam defeating Tipu Sultan . They have seen action in Mysore , Seedaser , Baghdad , Afghanistan , Dadar , Baroda , Burma , China and Palestine . In World War I , the battalion fought heroically and won the battle honours of Sharon and Nablus in Palestine . In World War II , the battalion distinguished itself in the Battle of Keren ( North Africa ) , against Mussolini ' s Italian troops and native Eritreans . The battalion then made history as part of the 4th Indian Division against Rommel ' s Afrika Corps in the North African Campaign . It continued with victories at Kut - El - Amara and in the Western Desert Campaign at Tobruk under Montgomery . The Battalion was re - raised back in India as it had lost most of its men at Tobruk . Post - Independence . The Kali Panchwin Battalion was deployed along the border in Punjab during the Partition of India in 1947 ; it was also based in the Govindgarh Fort near Amritsar . It moved to Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir , and then Yol and Dagshai in Himachal . The battalion then moved to a peacetime station in Secunderabad . In 1961 - 62 , it was deployed to the Darjeeling sector along the Line of Actual Control with China . In 1962 it was deployed to the Gaza Strip as part of the United Nations Emergency Force under the command of Lt Col J . D . Stanley . It had an eventful tenure there , receiving accolades from the Force Commander , as well as winning most sports and drill competitions against units of other nations comprising the peace - keeping force . On its return it participated in rescue operations following an air crash near Pune . At the outbreak of the Indo - Pakistan War of 1965 , the Kali Panchwin was based in Mathura when it was deployed to Hussainiwala in the Firozpur sector of Punjab . It defended the Hussainiwala headworks against an attack by a full infantry brigade supported by armoured columns of the Pakistan Army . The enemy also used artillery fire and air support in this engagement . Two enemy tanks were destroyed and two captured , with several enemy killed . The commanding officer Col . Nolan was killed by an enemy artillery shelling the next morning while supervising operations . It was a major loss to the battalion . The battalion was visited by then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri , Defence Minister Kamraj , the Chief of Army Staff and other senior officers . Kali Panchwin was awarded the battle honour " Hussainiwala " for its role in the 1965 War . It was among the first units to be moved to the Naga Hills counter - insurgency operations where they fought many successful missions . In an ambush Captain E . J . Tucker lost his life along with several men ; for his bravery he was awarded the Ashoka Chakra Award Class I , the highest peacetime gallantry award . After spending time in Firozpur and Fazilka , the unit was deployed to Sikkim . It celebrated its bicentenary in Pune in 1974 with Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw as chief guest . The unit was then deployed to Gulmarg Heights along the Line of Control on the border with China . After a peace tenure in Dehradun , it was deployed in counter - insurgency operations in Manipur and Mizoram . In 1987 it returned to Pune , and subsequently air - lifted to Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force . The battalion captured 4 top leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Batticaloa . It won 22 individual awards including one Vir Chakra . The battalion since then has been deployed to Jammu and Kashmir thrice , as well as to Assam and Sikkim .