Indian Army team makes Guinness entry

Bengaluru, Oct. 31: The 48-member Swetha Ashwa team of the Indian Army has achieved a feat worthy of entry in the Guinness Book of World Records by balancing 48 people on a single, moving bike.

The record-breaking performance was held on Saturday at Yelahanka Air Force Station and on Sunday the same feat was displayed again for the media and other military officials.

It was a breathtaking sight when the famed ‘Swetha Ashwa’ team from the Corps of Military Police, stood in a pyramid formation on a 500 cc Royal Enfield motorcycle as they went past the awestruck audience. With this demonstration, the team has broken the record set by the Army Corps of Brazil.

The air rang with applause as the team performed their unique maneuvers, like ‘scissors cross’ and ‘parallel crossing,’ with skill and precision. The Swetha Ashwa team has been the major attraction at Republic Day and Independence Day parades for their sensational performances on motorbikes.

“We are happy to have set a world record. We had actually prepared to cover 1.6 km, but could not do so as the runway length did not permit it,” said Naik Subedar M.G. Rajan, the leader of the team. “There were difficulties during our four-month long training period, including an accident where one of our team members fractured his back. He recouped and was part of the record-breaking team,” Rajan said.

Earlier, on Sunday, the reunion of the Corps of Military Police began with the Adjutant General and Colonel Commandant of the CMP, Lieutenant General Mukesh Sabharwal and other serving and retired army officers paying homage at the war memorial.

Lt. Gen. Sabharwal then felicitated the family members of the CMP personnel who laid down their lives in various military operations. He honoured the Swetha Ashwa team and the team of Motor Para Gliders of the Parachute Regiment, who also showed their skills on Sunday.