Important: The recipient was an Indian Commissioned Officer holding the appointment of Acting Captain while serving with the Brigade of the Guards, the elite Guards formation of the Indian Army The Brigade of the Guards, was formed as the first mixed class Indian regiment to be raised after Indian independence by Field Marshal KM Cariappa OBE. Three of the Army's oldest and most distinguished battalions were converted as Guards battalions in 1949: - 2nd Battalion, Punjab Regiment - 1st Battalion - 1st Battalion, The Grenadiers - 2nd Battalion - 1st Battalion, Rajputana Rifles - 3rd Battalion A year later, they were joined by the 1st Battalion, Rajput Regiment as the 4th Battalion The 'Brigade of the Guards' is the only regiment of foot guards in the Indian Army. Though the Brigade of The Guards is only 70 years old, its constituent battalions have a lineage and history that dates back to their original origins in the 18th Century, and who between them share 93 x battle honours earned around the world Currently the Brigade of the Guards consists of 19 regular battalions and 2 territorial battalions and 1 RR (Rashtriye Rifle) battalion. In the 1980s, the Indian Army began to increase the number of mechanized infantry battalions on its order of battle. As part of this program, the battalions of the Brigade of Guards were eventually converted to mechanized infantry