The 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent was a regular infantry regiment of the British East India Company. The 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent was also known as the 96th Berar Infantry. The Hyderabad Contingent, also known as the Nizam`s Contingent and the Nizam`s Army, was the military of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Later the unit was developed as the Kumaon Regiment of the British Indian Army. Hyderabad Contingent was among the Presidency Armies in British India of the British East India Company until the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. In the year 1903, the armies of the British Indian presidencies were joined to form the united British Indian Army.

History of 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent
The regiment was formed in the year 1797 as the 2nd Battalion of the Aurangabad Division for the Princely state of Hyderabad. Afterwards it came under the administrative control of the East India Company. After the signing of a treaty in 1853 with the then Governor General of India, the 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent was included as a part of the Army of the Nizam of Hyderabad. Eventually it was designated as the Hyderabad Contingent and was incorporated as the regular British Indian Army.

Military Operations of 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent
The 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent took part in the Battle of Mahidpur in the Third Anglo Maratha War. Later the troops participated in the Siege of Nowah and Capture of Nowah. The battalion also provided military service in the annexation of Burma in the Second Burmese War. The Sepoys of the unit did not revolt against the British authorities in the Great Revolt of 1857 and later took part in the Central India Campaign.

Development of 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent
After the conclusion of World War I, the British Government of India reformed and restructured the entire British Indian army. Moreover the separate single battalion regiments were united to form multi battalion regiments. The 96th Berar Infantry regiment was re-designated in the year 1922 as the 2nd Battalion, 19th Hyderabad Regiment. After the Indian independence and the Partition of India, the nation was divided into the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The British Indian Army was divided accordingly among the 2 newly independent nations and the 3rd Infantry of Hyderabad Contingent was allocated to the modern Indian Army.