General Dalbir Singh Suhag takes over as the Indian Army Chief

A soldier's son General Dalbir Singh Suhag takes over as the Indian Army Chief

Army Chief General Bikram Singh retired on Thursday giving way to General Dalbir Singh Suhag who became India's 26th Army Chief. 59-year-old Suhag was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

During the farewell ceremony for the outgoing Army Chief on Thursday, General Bikram Singh said that India has given a befitting reply to Pakistan on the beheading of Indian soldier incident. "Our troops are responding to transgressions. This has been happening for many years. At the centre of any combat power is the soldier and our soldiers are the finest," General Bikram Singh said.

Suhag has now taken over as the Chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army. A Gurkha officer who had participated in the 1987 Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operation in Sri Lanka, General Suhag will have a period of 30 months as the 26th Chief of Army Staff.

He is the son of Subedar Major Ramphal Singh Suhag of 18 Cavalry. As per tradition, generations after generation of the men in the Suhag family have served the country at the borders and the women raised the children back home.

Suhag has taken over after a long span of controversy over his appointment. Suhag was designated as the Army Chief in May by the outgoing UPA government ignoring protests from the former Army chief and now union minister General VK Singh.

Suhag was a Company Commander in 'Op Pawan' in Sri Lanka in 1987 and commanded 53 Infantry Brigade engaged in counter insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley from July, 2003 to March, 2005. An alumnus of Sainik School, Chittorgarh, he joined NDA in 1970 and was commissioned into 4/5 GR (FF) in June 1974.

The General Officer has attended various career courses in India and abroad which include LDMC at CDM, Secunderabad in 1997-98, NDC Course at New Delhi in 2006, Executive Course in USA in 2005 and Senior Mission Leaders Course (UN) in Kenya in 2007. He holds the distinction of commanding 8 Mountain Division in Kargil from October 2007 to December 2008.