Gen V K Singh, the senior most infantry officer, was handed over charge of the Indian Army, the world's second largest, by outgoing chief Gen Deepak Kapoor and he will formally assume his new office tomorrow.
He will be the first trained commando to take over as the Army chief.
Gen Singh has vast experience in counter-insurgency operations and till lately was the GOC-in-C of Kolkata-based Eastern Command.
Singh, who picked up the four-star rank of General, will be the 26th chief and will stay at the helm of the 1.13 million personnel-strong Army for over two years.
Singh was in the news recently when he recommended action against four General-ranked officers indicted by a probe in the Sukna land scam in Darjeeling district of West Bengal.
A third generation officer from the Rajput regiment, Singh had participated in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War as a young captain. He is a graduate of the Wellington-based Defence Services Staff College as well as the US Army War College at Carlisle. He also did a Rangers Course, a prestigious commando training, at Fort Benning in the US.
The new chief belongs to the Rajput Regiment just as Field Marshal K M Cariappa, the first Indian to become the Army chief in 1949.
Singh was commissioned in the Rajput Regiment in June 1970 and commanded the same unit when it was positioned along the Line of Control with Pakistan.
Experienced in counter-insurgency, Line of Control and high altitude operations, Singh was awarded the Yudh Sena Medal for his distinguished service during 'Operation Pawan' against the LTTE in Sri Lanka.
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