Gen Rawat takes over as chief of army staff
New Delhi: Jan 1, 2017, DHNS
Superceded officer, Lt Gen Bakshi, not to resign
India on Saturday got new chiefs for the army and the air force as Gen Bipin Rawat and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa took charges from their predecessors.
Both of them would remain in office till 2019. While Dhanoa is slated to retire in September, Rawat would continue for another three months.
Contrary to the speculations, the senior-most army officer Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi said he would not resign from the post of the Eastern Army Commander and would extend full support to Rawat, who is one year junior to him.
The Narendra Modi government overlooked the claims of Bakshi and the Southern Army Commander Lt Gen P M Hariz to pick Rawat for the top job.
The only other time this has happened was in 1983, when the senior-most officer Lt Gen S K Sinha was not chosen by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
She picked Gen A S Vaidya, who was junior to Sinha by two months. A miffed Sinha later resigned. Bakshi, who met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar a few days ago, said he would not resign.
Addressing his officers on the eve of the new year at Fort William in Kolkata, Bakshi said he would continue to lead the eastern command with “full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore”. The armoured corps officer is on leave at the moment and addressed the officer through a video link, sources said.
This is the first time in the history of the Indian Army that an officer resumes service after being ignored for the chief’s job. Hariz and Bakshi would now have to salute a junior officer. Lt Gen Bakshi made a request to stop the speculation and the trolling on social media. He telephoned Gen Rawat to congratulate him.
DH News Service
Both of them would remain in office till 2019. While Dhanoa is slated to retire in September, Rawat would continue for another three months.
Contrary to the speculations, the senior-most army officer Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi said he would not resign from the post of the Eastern Army Commander and would extend full support to Rawat, who is one year junior to him.
The Narendra Modi government overlooked the claims of Bakshi and the Southern Army Commander Lt Gen P M Hariz to pick Rawat for the top job.
The only other time this has happened was in 1983, when the senior-most officer Lt Gen S K Sinha was not chosen by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
She picked Gen A S Vaidya, who was junior to Sinha by two months. A miffed Sinha later resigned. Bakshi, who met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar a few days ago, said he would not resign.
Addressing his officers on the eve of the new year at Fort William in Kolkata, Bakshi said he would continue to lead the eastern command with “full professional sincerity as hither-to-fore”. The armoured corps officer is on leave at the moment and addressed the officer through a video link, sources said.
This is the first time in the history of the Indian Army that an officer resumes service after being ignored for the chief’s job. Hariz and Bakshi would now have to salute a junior officer. Lt Gen Bakshi made a request to stop the speculation and the trolling on social media. He telephoned Gen Rawat to congratulate him.
DH News Service
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