New Delhi: In a key move, the government has appointed two new Army Commanders, a Vice Chief and a new officer to head the critical 14 Corps that looks after the tense Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.
Lt Gen B.S. Raju, currently the Army Vice Chief, has been appointed as the South Western Army Commander. He will take over from Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Bhinder on 1 March when he superannuates.
Lt Gen N.S.R. Subramani has been promoted to the rank of Army commander and appointed as the next Central Army Commander in Lucknow. He is presently the Chief of Staff in HQ Northern Command.
He will replace Lt Gen Yogendra Dimri. who also superannuates end of this month.
Lt Gen M.V. Suchindra Kumar, currently Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) in the Army Headquarters, has been promoted to the rank of Army Commander and appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
The Leh-based 14 Corps, also known as the Fire and Fury Corps, also saw changes.
Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, the current Corps Commander, moves to the Norther Command as the new Chief of Staff.
He will be replaced by Lt Gen Rashim Bali, an officer who has also served as India’s defence attache in Afghanistan.
Lt Gen B.S. Raju
The officer is an alumnus of the Sainik School in Bijapur and National Defence Academy. He was commissioned in the 11th Battalion, The Jat Regiment on 15 December 1984.
He commanded his Battalion during Op Parakram, which was launched after the 2001 Parliament attack, in Western theatre and in Jammu & Kashmir.
He also holds the distinction of commanding the Uri Brigade along the Line of Control, Counter Insurgency Force and Chinar Corps in Kashmir Valley. The General Officer was also Commandant, Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan.
In his career spanning 38 years, Lt Gen Raju has held important regimental, staff and instructional appointments in the Army HQ and field formations, to include Brigade Major in an Infantry Brigade, Colonel MS Legal in Army HQ, Brigadier General Staff of operationally active Corps on the Western front, and DDG Military Operations among others.
Prior to taking over as Vice Chief of Army Staff, he held the appointment of Director General of Military Operation at Army HQ.
Incidentally, he is also a qualified helicopter pilot, having done operational flying in Somalia, as part of United Nation Operation in Somlia (UNISOM) II.
He has also done a Masters programme in Counter Terrorism, at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA.
Lt Gen M.V. Suchindra Kumar
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into 1 Assam Regiment in June 1985. He commanded 59 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion (ASSAM), an Infantry Brigade and an Infantry Division on the Line of Control.
He has also commanded the 16 Corps, also known as the White Knight Corps. He has held the appointments of Additional Director General Military Intelligence and Director General Military Intelligence at Army HQ.
Lt Gen N.S. Raja Subramani
He is a graduate of the 67th Course at National Defence Academy and 77th Course at Indian Military Academy.
The General Officer was commissioned into the 8th Battalion, The Garhwal Rifles, on 14 December 1985. He is an alumnus of Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (UK) and National Defence College, New Delhi. He holds a Master of Arts degree from King’s College London and an M. Phil in Defence Studies from Madras University.
He commanded the 16 Garhwal Rifles in counter insurgency in Assam as part of Operation Rhino, 168 Infantry Brigade in Samba, 17 Mountain Division in 2018, Uttar Bharat Area in 2020. He has also the distinction of having commanded 2 Corps, the premier strike Corps of the Army on the Western Front.
His staff and instructional assignments include Divisional Officer at NDA, Brigade Major of a Mountain Brigade, Defence Attache in Kazakhstan, Assistant Military Secretary in the MS Branch, Colonel General Staff (Operations) at HQ Eastern Command, Deputy Commander of a Rashtriya Rifles Sect in Jammu & Kashmir, Deputy Director General of Military Intelligence at Army HQ, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) in the Eastern Command and Chief Instructor (Army) at DSSC, Wellington.
He is presently the Chief of Staff, HQ Northern Commandant, which makes him well-versed with the operational dynamics of the Northern Front.
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