NEW DELHI: The Indian Army witnessed significant changes in its senior leadership on Monday.
Lieutenant General RC Tiwari took charge of the crucial Rising Sun Eastern Command, based in Kolkata. Tiwari, a graduate of the National Defence Academy and a Kumaon regiment veteran since 1987, succeeded Lieutenant General RP Kalita, who retired on December 31. Prior to this, Tiwari commanded the Uttar Bharat Area and the Dimapur-based 3 Corps, known as Spear Corps, under the Eastern Command.
The Eastern Command is one of the six operational commands in the Indian Army and manages a 1,346 kilometre stretch of the Line of Actual Control, including areas in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Another significant change occurred in the Army as Lieutenant General Prit Pal Singh, commissioned into the 62 Armoured Regiment in December 1989, assumed command of the Sudarshan Chakra Corps (19 Corps) headquartered in Mathura, replacing Lieutenant General Vipul Shinghal. This Corps is a crucial strike formation.
In the Indian Navy, Vice-Admiral B Sivakumar assumed the role of Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, with a notable background in indigenous warship production. He joined the Indian Navy in 1987 as an electrical officer and previously served as programme director for the HQ Advanced Technology Vehicle Project in New Delhi, related to India’s Arihant class nuclear ballistic missile submarine production.
Vice-Admiral Kiran Deshmukh took charge as the Chief of Material of the Navy. He was commissioned as an engineer officer in March 1986. During his tenure as controller warship production and acquisition, the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier was commissioned, and the first Light Combat Aircraft landed onboard the indigenous aircraft carrier.
New appointments
In the Army, Lieutenant General RC Tiwari took charge of the crucial Rising Sun Eastern Command based in Kolkata, while Lieutenant General Prit Pal Singh assumed command of the Sudarshan Chakra Corps headquartered in Mathura. In the Navy, Vice-Admiral B Sivakumar assumed the role of Controller Warship Production and Acquisition, while Vice-Admiral Kiran Deshmukh took charge as the Chief of Material.