Free Entry for Spectators to View 15th Battalion of J&K Rifles Regiment Handing Over Charge to 28th Battalion of Madras Regiment as Ceremonial Army Guard Battalion at Rashtrapati Bhavan Tomorrow

15th Battalion of the J&K Rifles Regiment shall handover the charge of Ceremonial Army Guard Battalion at Rashtrapati Bhavan to the 28th Battalion of the Madras Regiment at a Ceremonial Change of Guard Ceremony tomorrow (May 7, 2011) at 8 AM.

The Ceremony shall take place on Raisina Hill and inside the Iron Gate of Rashtrapati Bhavan, during which the Commanding Officers of the incoming and outgoing battalions shall exchange charge. This Ceremony can be watched free of cost, for which seating arrangements have been made. Parking facilities will be at Vijay Chowk. The 15 J&K Rifles have been posted at Rashtrapati Bhavan since October 2009. The J&K Rifles were raised in Jan 1976 at Dhana, Madhya Pradesh. The incoming 28 Madras is one of the oldest and most decorated Regiments of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1758, as the Madras Army. The Regiment was re-raised in 1941 and then in 1947, was designated as the Madras Regiment.

The historic President's Body Guard (PBG) is the senior most Regiment of the Indian Army and shall also take part in the Changing of Guard Ceremony. Raised in 1773 as the Governor General's Body Guard, this horsed cavalry unit is specifically tasked for ceremonial duties of the President of India. As a consequence, it is permanently located at the President's Estate. Troops of the PBG are expert horsemen, para-troopers and qualified tankmen.

This release issued at 1030 hrs.