CHANDIGARH (PTI):  Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar last Saturday assumed the charge of General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army's Western Command here.

"General Katiyar laid a wreath at Veer Smriti, paying homage to the brave hearts who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty," said an official release here.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Katiyar was commissioned into the 23rd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment in June 1986.

He is a graduate of the Defence Service Staff College, National Defence College as well as a distinguished graduate of the National War College, USA.

In a career spanning over 37 years, General Katiyar has served across a wide spectrum of operational areas in Siachen Glacier, along the Line of Control, both in 15 and 16 Corps, and along the Line of Actual Control in 3, 14 and 33 Corps, the release said.

The General Officer has also served as an instructor in the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan and the Defence Services Staff College Wellington.

He has the distinction of commanding an infantry brigade along the Western Borders, Army Headquarters Reserve Mountain Division along the Northern Borders and the Mountain Strike Corps responsible for offensive operations.

General Katiyar was conferred with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service in 2021.