Article Posted on : - Jan 03, 2014

NEW DELHI (PTI): Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, who is tipped to be the next Army Chief, on Wednesday took over as the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff.

Gen 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 V K Singh had imposed a discipline and vigilance promotion ban on him when he was heading the 3 Corps in Dimapur.

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The ban was revoked by Gen Bikram Singh, when he took over as the Army chief, paving the way for Suhag's elevation as the Eastern Army Commander in June, 2012.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

He has also headed 8 Mountain Division in J&K, which was deployed on the LoC in a high altitude Area from Oct 2007 to Dec 2008.

If the government sticks to seniority criteria, which it has for long, Suhag will become the Army chief when Bikram Singh retires.

In the Air Force, Air Marshal Ravi Kant Sharma took over as the Vice Chief. He was commissioned into the Fighters' stream of the IAF in June 1975.