Army Chief Bipin Rawat to make first official visit to Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu: Army chief Bipin Rawat will visit Jammu and Kashmir in his first official trip after taking over as India’s 27th Chief Of Army Staff.

According to top army sources, he will be visiting army formation in Jammu. This will be his median tour to Jammu and Kashmir after taking over as new army chief. Rawat last week took over as the chief of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army succeeding Dalbir Singh Suhag, who retired after 42 years of service.

Rawat superseded two senior most Lt Generals, Praveen Bakshi and PM Hariz. Rawat was commissioned in the Fifth Battalion of the Eleven Gorkha Rifles in December 1978 from IMA, Dehradun.

He was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ at the academy. Rawat has vast experience in high altitude warfare and counter-insurgency operations.

He commanded an infantry battalion, along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector, a Rashtriya Rifles Sector and an Infantry Division in the Kashmir Valley, a Corps in the Eastern theatre and the Southern Command. Rawat has held important staff appointments at Directorate General of Military Operations and Military Secretary’s Branch at Army HQ.