President's Bodyguard (India)
President's Bodyguard | |
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JCOs & 198 soldiers)[1] | |
Part of | 50th Parachute Brigade |
Motto(s) | Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Victory to Mother India)[1] |
March | Sare Jahan se Accha[1] |
Equipment | BTR-80 |
Commanders | |
Colonel of the regiment | Colonel Amit Berwal[2] |
Ceremonial chief | President of India |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol | PBG |
The President's Bodyguard (PBG) is an elite
The personnel of the regiment are also trained as paratroopers and nominally are expected to lead in airborne assaults as pathfinders. The regiment is the successor of the Governor General's Bodyguard of the British Raj.
History
The President's Bodyguard is the successor to the Governor General's Bodyguard of the Presidency armies and the British Indian Army. The Governor-General's Bodyguard was raised in September 1773 by Governor-General Warren Hastings from a handpicked 50 troopers of the Moghal Horse, itself raised in 1760 by local sirdars. In the same year, Maharaja Chait Singh of Benares provided another 50 troopers, raising the strength of the unit to 100. The first commander of the unit was Captain Sweeny Toone, an officer of the East India Company, who had Lieutenant Samuel Black as his subaltern.
External videos | |
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The President's Bodyguard, a 2018 documentary film by National Geographic[3] |
During the Partition of India, British Indian Army was divided 2:1 between the Dominions of India and Pakistan. Muslim personnel of the regiment were transferred to the Pakistan Army to form the Governor General's Bodyguard in Pakistan. The rest of the regiment, comprising the Sikhs, Jats and Rajputs remained with the Indian Army. The Viceroy's gold-plated buggy was coveted by both India and Pakistan. Its fate was decided by a coin toss between Colonel Thakur Govind Singh (India) and Sahabzada Yaqub Khan (Pakistan) and India won the buggy.[4]
The regiment would be renamed the
Names
The name of the regiment has changed throughout its history:
Year | Name |
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1773 | Governor's Troop of Moghuls |
1784 | Governor-General's Bodyguard |
1859 | Viceroy's Body Guard |
1944 | 44th Divisional Reconnaissance Squadron |
1946 | Governor-General's Bodyguard |
1950 | President's Bodyguard |
Strength and ethnic composition
The President's Bodyguard is open for each regiment in Defence Forces but mostly priorities to
Battle honours
The President's Bodyguard has inherited the following
- Java
- Ava
- Maharajpoor
- Moodkee
- Ferozeshah
- Aliwal
- Sobraon
all of which, except for "Java", are considered to be
Operational history
The President's Bodyguard has seen action in all of independent India's major wars. It rendered yeoman service in the capital and helped reinstate confidence in the general public in the aftermath of the Partition of India.
After independence, Humber and Daimler armoured cars formed the mounts of the regiment and were deployed in the defense of Chushul at heights above 14,000 ft during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.[7][8]
The regiment participated in Operation Ablaze in the
Standards, guidons & banners
Each successive viceroy presented a banner to the Bodyguard upon assuming office; the banners of previous viceroys being kept in the custody of the regiment. The practice continues in effect until the present day with each President of India presenting a silver trumpet to the regiment - although the coat-of-arms of the Viceroy is replaced by the monogram of the President.
The first trumpet with banner of the President was presented by
The second president of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan presented his banner to the regiment on 21 October 1962. His banner, with a grey background with emblem and crest in gold thread, incorporated his initials in Devanagari script in the center and four emblems in gold in the four corners, from the presidential standard. The new President's Standard of the Body Guard and the Regimental Standard were awarded by President Radhakrishnan on 11 November 1963. The Regimental Standard is dark blue in colour with the regimental crest in the centre surrounded by lotus flowers and Ashoka leaves. Five scrolls on either side of the crest record the regiment's Battle Honours and the standard bears the motto "Bharat Mata ki Jai".
Present status
In 2003, the President's Bodyguard had an establishment of 7 officers, 15 JCOs, and 140 enlisted men, for a total strength of 180. Throughout its history, the Bodyguard has varied in size from 50 men, when first raised, to 1929 men in 1845. However, it was usually around squadron size, or about 130 men.
By tradition, the commanding officer has always been a
Gallery
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Guard-changing ceremony outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House)
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President's Bodyguard in summer ceremonial uniforms during changing of the guard
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President's Bodyguard coming out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in their winter ceremonial dress
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Colonel T. S. Mundi, then commandant of the regiment, during full-dress rehearsal on 23 January 2013
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Major Amit Bhardwaj moving towards forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan during full dress rehearsal on 23 January 2013
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Lt. Col. Mahender Singh (former second-in-command of the regiment) in summer ceremonial uniform
See also
- Tri-Services Guard of Honour (India)
- Samman Guard
- President Guard Regiment (Bangladesh)
- President's Bodyguard (Pakistan)
- Household Cavalry (United Kingdom)
References
- ^ ISBN 978-81-902097-7-9.
- ^ "President Droupadi Murmu presented President's Standard of Bodyguard and Regimental Standard to President's Bodyguard at its Sestercentennial celebrations held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President expressed confidence that PBG will maintain the best traditions of Indian Army with…". President of India. 2023.
- ^ Roy, Robin (15 August 2018), The President's Bodyguard (Documentary), Amitabh Bachchan, India Noida, NGC Network, National Geographic, retrieved 12 December 2023
- ^ "Droupadi Murmu gives traditional buggy a miss during swearing-in ceremony: A look back at its glorious history". Firstpost. India. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Only three castes may apply to join the President's Bodyguard, but army still alleges there's no caste bias". Firstpost. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ISBN 978-81-7094-115-6.
- ^ "The President's Bodyguard". The President of India. The President's Secretariat, Government of India. 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
- ^ Bhat, Anil (2011). "A Tryst with India's History". Salute magazine. Retrieved 29 March 2014.[dead link]
- ISBN 9780674967007. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ISBN 978-81-8274-909-2.
- ^ "President Kovind arrives at Rajpath, receives 21 Gun Salute on 73rd Republic Day". ANI News. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
External links
- The President's Bodyguard
- The PBG Man Wins Medal
- "Archive News". The Hindu. 18 July 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- "Bodyguard shows his mettle". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- "Delhi, 11 August, 2011 :DigitalEdition". epaper.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- The President's Bodyguard documentary