Article by Darshana Jamindar
Today, Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh, takes over as army chief succeeding General Bikram Singh who has retired on superannuation.
During UPA rule, Dalbir Singh was designated as army chief in May 2014 amid protests from his predecessor General V K Singh and BJP. Dalbir Singh will take charge from August 1.
Looking at his profile, 59-year-old Lt General a Gurkha officer participated in the 1987 Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operation in Sri Lanka and currently is the Vice Chief of Army Staff. Dalbir Singh will be 26th Chief of the armed forces.
The Supreme Court on July 7, 2014 had refused to stay the appointment of Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army Chief . A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur stated that they did not find any reason to stay the appointment.
Dalbir Singh was promoted to the Vice Chief of Army Staff in December last year. Formerly, he was as the Eastern Army Commander on June 16, 2012.
