Lt Gen Suhag takes over as Vice Chief of Army

Lt Gen Suhag takes over as Vice Chief of Army

New Delhi, January 1
Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who is tipped to be the next Army Chief, took over as the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff today.

General Suhag, who was commissioned in the Gorkha Rifles in 1974, has a long experience in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North East and had participated in IPKF operation in Sri Lanka.

The Army had announced the decision to designate Suhag, till now the Eastern Army Commander, as the next Vice-Chief on December 12.

His fate appeared uncertain after the then Army Chief Gen VK Singh imposed a discipline and vigilance promotion ban on him while he was heading the 3 Corps in Dimapur.

VK Singh had charged Suhag with "abdicating responsibility" in "a most unprofessional and lackadaisical manner" while dealing with a botched operation by an intelligence and surveillance unit under him.

The ban was revoked by Gen Bikram Singh, when he took over as the Army Chief, paving the way for Suhag's elevation as the Eastern Army Commander in June, 2012.

Gen Suhag has had a tenure as a company commander in Operation Pawan, which was launched by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.

He raised and commanded 33 RR in Nagaland and later led 53 Infantry Brigade, which was involved in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir, an Army spokesperson said. — PTI