# Mechanised Infantry Regiment

The Mechanised Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, comprising 27 battalions (including 3 tracked and 2 wheeled reconnaissance and support battalions) dispersed under various armoured formations throughout India. Together with the 23 battalions of Brigade of the Guards, they form part of the Mechanised Infantry arm, which along with the Armoured Corps form the Mechanised Forces.

## History

The Mechanised Infantry Regiment is one of the youngest regiments in the army and was the mastermind of General K Sundarji, who had the foresight to cater to the needs of a modern army. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, a need was felt to give infantry battalions greater mobility, especially when operating with armoured formations. In 1969, 1st Madras became the first infantry unit to be equipped with the armoured personnel carrier (APC) TOPAS. In 1970, nine more of the oldest battalions from various infantry regiments were equipped with APCs, these included TOPAS, SKOT and BTR-60. These battalions remained affiliated with their erstwhile Infantry Regiments and Regimental Centres and did not form a separate regiment. Eventually, fourteen old infantry battalions were mechanised.
During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, some of these battalions saw action as part of combat groupings with armoured units for the first time. The APCs were replaced with BMP-1 Infantry Combat Vehicles between 1977 and 1978. The need for something more concrete and viable was felt, along with a need to develop a common battle and training philosophy with regards to the type of tactics. This necessitated the raising a totally new arm in the Indian Army, resulting in the various mechanised battalions being brought together under a single cap badge as the Mechanised Infantry Regiment, which was raised with fourteen battalions on 2 April 1979 and the affairs of the regiment were transferred from Directorate General of Infantry to Armoured Corps Directorate, which was renamed the Directorate General Mechanised Forces in 1986. Gen K Sundarji was appointed the first Colonel of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment, the post he held till his retirement.
The regiment saw a rapid expansion in the 1980s. Mechanised infantry battalions numbered 15 to 26 have been raised on all-India mixed class composition, unlike the older units, which were single class ones. The only exception was 20 Rajput, which joined the regiment as the 24th battalion in April 1992. The Mechanised Infantry Regiment has been involved in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Rakshak in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir and Operation Vijay in Jammu & Kashmir. It also took part in UN Peacekeeping Operations in Somalia, Congo, Angola and Sierra Leone.The Regiment is affiliated to the Indian Naval Ship Gharial.

## Mechanised Infantry Institutions
### Mechanised Infantry Centre and School

The Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC) was established on 2 April 1979 at Ahmednagar and it is spread over 2179 acres. It trains approximately 950 recruits annually. It has three training battalions: Infantry Training Battalion, Composite Training Battalion and Driving and Maintenance Battalion. It was renamed as the Mechanised Infantry Centre and School (MIC&S) on 17 September 2021. In addition to the troops from the Mechanised Infantry, those from the Brigade of the Guards undergo their 'mechanised' training at the MIC&S. MIC&S offers eight diploma courses and four post graduate diploma courses under the Savitribai Phule Pune University.

### Quarter Guard

The Quarter Guard of the MIRC was created on 9 August 1979 during the first biennial conference. After the sanction of KLP, the present Quarter Guard was conceptualised in half circular area with front wide platform. The new Quarter Guard was completed in 1986. The Quarter Guard has 18 internal rooms as well as an armour shop and a guard room. To the right and left side of the guard are two guns and two cannons that symbolise the strength of soldiers.

### Military Band

The MIRC Band is based at Ahmednagar and serves all regimental duties related to musical support. The band was formed during April 1982 under the auspices of Brigadier Tilak Raj. The band has held the honour of performing at national events such as the Beating Retreat, Army and Republic Day Parades, as well as events at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It also has performed at the 2007 Military World Games, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the 2001 Mumbai International Fleet Review among others.

### Regimental museum

The MIRC Museum was founded and inaugurated on 9 February 2000 by Lieutenant General Pankaj Joshi, the then Colonel of the regiment. The museum is currently housed at the ground floor of Mechanised Bhavan. The museum houses the regimental colour, as well as the history if the MIRC and mementos from Colonels of the regiment.

## Equipment

* BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicles
* TATA Kestrel

## Regimental battalions

The Mechanised Infantry Regiment consists of units designated as battalions. Each battalion consists of four companies - Headquarter Company and three Mechanised Companies. In addition, there are platoons - Reconnaissance (recce), Signals, Adm Medium and Light Repair Workshop. The sanctioned strength of a battalion is 805 personnel (26 Officers, 52 JCOs, 6 technical JCOs/CHMs and 721 ORs. The battalions are operational under Armoured Divisions, Armoured Brigades or Independent Mechanised Brigades.
The current battalions are as follows-
| Unit | Date of raising | Date of conversion to Mechanised | Former designation(s) | Battle honours | Remarks |
| 1st Battalion | 01 Dec 1776 | 01 Dec 1969 | 1st Battalion, Madras Regiment | Kalidhar | |
| 2nd Battalion | 09 Nov 1803 | 15 Aug 1970 | 1st Battalion, Jat Regiment (Light Infantry) | Festubert | |
| 3rd Battalion | 19 Feb 1824 | 14 June 1971 | 1st Battalion, 8 Gorkha Rifles | Chushul | |
| 4th Battalion | 30 Jul 1846 | 15 May 1970 | 1st Battalion, Sikh Regiment | Tithwal | |
| 5th Battalion | 28 Dec 1852 | 01 May 1978 | 4th Gwalior Infantry; 14th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment | OP Hill | |
| 6th Battalion | 05 May 1887 | 15 Jun 1970 | 1st Battalion, Garhwal Rifles | Gadra City | |
| 7th Battalion | 30 May 1887 | 15 Apr 1970 | 37th Dogras; 1st Battalion, Dogra Regiment | Asal Uttar | |
| 8th Battalion | 05 May 1941 | 11 Aug 1971 | 7th Battalion, 2nd Punjab Regiment; 7th Battalion, Punjab Regiment | Ichhogil | First unit to be equipped with BMP-1 |
| 9th Battalion | 01 Apr 1949 | 11 Aug 1971 | 7th Battalion, The Grenadiers | Chhadbet | |
| 10th Battalion | 27 May 1949 | 11 Aug 1971 | 20th Battalion, Maratha Light Infantry | Bejai | |
| 11th Battalion | 11 Feb 1953 | 11 Aug 1971 | 18th Battalion, Rajputana Rifles | Basantar River | |
| 12th Battalion | 01 Jan 1965 | 16 Nov 1975 | 8th Battalion, Parachute Regiment; 16th Battalion, Mahar Regiment | | |
| 13th Battalion | 01 Jan 1965 | 02 Apr 1981 | 18th Battalion, Rajput Regiment | Akhaura | |
| 14th Battalion | 01 Sep 1976 | 04 May 1971 | 16th Battalion, Jammu & Kashmir Rifles | | |
| 15th Battalion | 15 Dec 1981 | | | | First battalion to be raised directly as Mechanised Infantry |
| 16th Battalion | 01 Jan 1982 | | | | |
| 17th Battalion | 15 Nov 1982 | | | | Reconnaissance & Support (Tracked) |
| 18th Battalion | 01 Mar 1983 | | | | |
| 19th Battalion | 15 Sep 1983 | | | | Reconnaissance & Support (Tracked) |
| 20th Battalion | 01 Mar 1984 | | | | |
| 21st Battalion | 01 Mar 1984 | | | | |
| 22nd Battalion | 01 Mar 1984 | | | | |
| 23rd Battalion | 11 Feb 1985 | | | | Reconnaissance & Support (Wheeled) |
| 24th Battalion | 26 Jan 1954 | 05 Dec 1971 | 20th Battalion, Rajput Regiment | Khinsar | Reconnaissance & Support (Tracked) |
| 25th Battalion | 25 Jun 1994 | | | | Reconnaissance & Support (Wheeled) |
| 26th Battalion | ? 2015 | | | | |
| 27th Battalion | 17 Jul 2017 | | | | |

## Gallantry awards

The regiment has won the following gallantry awards since its establishment in 1979 -
* Maha Vir Chakra - 1
** Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari - 2 Mech Inf attached to 18 Grenadiers
* Kirti Chakra - 2
** Captain Hardev Singh
** Sepoy Daya Shankar - 14 RR
* Uttam Yudh Seva Medal - 2
* Vir Chakra - 1
** Second Lieutenant Satish Kumar Prabhakaran Menon - 15 Mech Inf
* Shaurya Chakra - 19
* Yudh Seva Medal - 4
* Sena Medal - 87

## Notable Officers

* Lieutenant General K Surendra Nath PVSM, AVSM, VSM - GOC-in-C Army Training Command, 2011-13
* Lieutenant General Philip Campose AVSM, VSM - GOC-in-C Western Command, 2013-14 and Vice Chief of the Army Staff, 2014-15
* Lieutenant General PM Hariz PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM - GOC-in-C Army Training Command, 2015-16 and GOC-in-C Southern Command, 2016-17
* Lieutenant General PC Thimayya PVSM, VSM - GOC-in-C Army Training Command, 2018-20
* Lieutenant General Ravendra Pal Singh PVSM, AVSM, VSM - GOC-in-C Western Command, 2019-21