Bangalore Terriers complete 3-year J&K counter-terror tenure, return home

BENGALURU: The 106 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) PARA, popularly known as the “Bangalore Terriers”, returned to Bengaluru on Friday after completing a three-year field tenure in Jammu & Kashmir, where it was deployed in a counter-terrorist operational environment.“The battalion was deployed in J&K from June 2023 to Sept 2026. During the tenure, it maintained a focus on battle drills, firing and Quick Reaction Team (QRT) exercises as part of its operational preparedness. The Army said the deployment was incident-free,” the ministry of defence (MoD) said on Friday.The battalion also won the Inter-Battalion Platoon Competition conducted under the aegis of the Formation Headquarters. Its training standards were appreciated by formation commanders in its chain of command.The battalion is currently commanded by Colonel Tejas B Candade, Sena Medal, of 2 PARA (Special Forces), who took over in August 2025.Welcoming the troops on behalf of the Karnataka govt, Bengaluru Development Authority chairman NA Harris thanked them for their service to the nation. BDA commissioner Major P Manivanan, who is also a Territorial Army officer serving part-time with the battalion, and Bengaluru Central City Corporation additional commissioner (Development) Venkatachalapathy R, were also present.The Bangalore Terriers, MoD said, returned with operational experience gained during the field tenure, enhanced training standards and renewed confidence.“Raised on Oct 1, 1960, at Jalandhar Cantonment, the battalion was initially affiliated with the Punjab Regiment. It moved its permanent location to Bengaluru in 1966 and was affiliated with the Parachute Regiment on April 1, 1979,” MoD added.The battalion has also served in earlier military and humanitarian operations. During the 1965 Indo-Pak war, its troops captured 36 Pakistani SSG commandos near Adampur in Punjab. In 1999, it provided humanitarian assistance during the Odisha Super Cyclone as part of Operation Sahayta.