India: Lt Gen Bikram Singh Is Next Army Chief

Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh designated as the next

Chief of Army Staff. He will succeed Gen. V.K. Singh

on 31 May 2012. Photo: PIB

NEW DELHI (NNN-Bernama) -- The suspense over the next Army Chief came to an end with the Indian government announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Bikram Singh as the successor to General VK Singh, who recently lost his battle over the age issue.

59-year-old Lieutenant General Singh, the Eastern Army Commander, will head the 1.3 million strong force and have tenure of just over two years till August 2014 from May 31, according to Press Trust of India (PTI).

Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said as per the normal practice, the appointments of Chiefs of Defence Services is announced 60 days in advance.

But, in this case, the Indian government made the announcement 90 days in advance.

"Lieutenant General Singh has been designated as the next Chief of Army Staff, in the rank of General, with effect from the afternoon of 31 May 2012," Sitanshu Kar said here.

"He will succeed the present COAS General VK Singh, who retires from the service on May 31," he added.

Bikram Singh was the senior most among the present Army Commanders but his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff had got caught in a suspense as General VK Singh was fighting out his date of birth battle with government that would have given him tenure till April next year.

Had VK Singh's contention that he was born on May 10, 1951 and not a year earlier been accepted, Lieutenant General Bikram Singh's chance to head the Army would have been scuttled. In that situation, Northern Army Commander Lieutenant

General KT Parnaik would have become the Chief.

Bikram Singh, the second Sikh to lead the Indian Army after General JJ Singh, has served in various key positions including as the Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps during the height of militancy in the valley.

He was commissioned into the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment on 31 March 1972 and has served in various key formations during his 40-year career.

He has also served as Deputy Force Commander of a multi-nation UN Peace Keeping Mission in Congo and as UN Observer in Nicaragua and El Salvador during the early 90s.

Lt Gen Bikram Singh has passed out with distinction from the Defence Services Staff College, the Army War College and the US Army War College, Pennsylvania.

He is married to Surjeet Kaur and the couple has two sons. --NNN-BERNAMA