Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar to be new Vice Chief of Army

New Delhi, Feb 16 (PTI) Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff, official sources said on Thursday.

He is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) in the Army Headquarters.

Lt Gen Kumar will succeed Lt Gen B S Raju who has been appointed as the Jaipur- headquartered South Western Army Commander, the sources said.

Lt Gen NSR Subramani, at present serving as the Chief of Staff at the headquarters of the Northern Command in Udhampur, has been appointed as the next Central Army Commander in Lucknow, they said.

All the new appointments will come into effect on March 1.

Lt Gen Kumar, is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He was commissioned into 1 Assam Regiment in June 1985.

He has commanded 59 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, an Infantry Brigade and an Infantry Division along the Line of Control.

Lt Gen Kumar has also commanded the highly active White Knight Corps. He has held the posts of Additional Director General Military Intelligence and Director General Military Intelligence at the Army headquarters.

Lt Gen BS Raju was commissioned into the 11th battalion of the Jat Regiment in December 1984. He later commanded his battalion during ‘Operation Parakram’ in Jammu and Kashmir.

He also holds the distinction of commanding the Uri brigade along the Line of Control, the Counter Insurgency Force and Chinar Corps in Kashmir Valley.

The general officer was also Commandant, Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan.

Lt Gen Subramani was commissioned into the eighth battalion of the Garhwal Rifles in December 1985.

He is an alumnus of Joint Services Command Staff College, Bracknell (the UK) and National Defence College, Delhi.

He holds a MA Degree from the King’s College, London.

Lt Gen Subramani has, in his illustrious career spanning over 35 years, served across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles and has tenanted a host of command, staff and instructional appointments.

He commanded 16 Garhwal Rifles in counter insurgency operations in Assam as part of ‘Operation Rhino’, 168 Infantry Brigade in Samba and 17 Mountain Division in 2018.