King's Commissioned Indian Officer

KCIOs were introduced in the early 20th Century under the Indianisation process. They were trained at the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun . They were equivalent in every way to the British King's Commissioned Officer s (KCOs), held the same ranks, and unlike VCOs had authority over British troops. In fact, most KCIOs served on attachment to a British unit early in their careers.

Many officers who later held high rank in the post-independence Indian Army and Pakistan Army began their careers as KCIOs.

A KCIO, Second Lieutenant Premindra Singh Bhagat of the Corps Of Indian Engineers , won the Victoria Cross in Abyssinia in 1941 .

A notable fictional example of a KCIO is Lieutenant Kip Singh, also of the Corps of Indian Engineers, in the novel and film '' The English Patient '', who is commanding a British Royal Engineers Platoon .

Information About