NEW DELHI: Putting an end to the confusion over who will Army Chief General V K Singh’s successor in the wake of the controversy over his age, the government on Saturday designated Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Chief of Army Staff.
The announcement has also put a lid on an ugly age row that involved the office of the Indian Army Chief and saw insinuations hurled at the previous chiefs and prospective candidates for the post.
Presently heading the Kolkata-based Eastern Army Command, Lt Gen Bikram Singh will take over the command of 1.12 million-strong Indian Army from General VK Singh when the latter retires on May 31. “The Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Bikram Singh has been designated as the next Chief of Army Staff, in the rank of General, with effect from the afternoon of May 31, 2012,” defence spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in an official statement.
The prelude to this announcement saw Gen. Singh dragging the government to court contending he was a year younger than determined by the Defence Ministry, with both the Defence Ministry under A K Antony and the general digging their heels in.