Eastern Army headless

Jun 01, 2012 - RAJIB CHOWDHURI |

Kolkata

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The crucial post of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command has fallen vacant after General Bikram Singh took over as the new Army chief of the country in New Delhi on Thursday.

The Army is yet to appoint a suitable senior officer in the rank of Lieutenant General to lead the command in his place. Such a situation is rare in the history of the command and the defence ministry, several Army officers pointed out.

The impasse is 'undesirable', they observed. Sources indicate that the stalemate is expected to continue for over a week. It is only after 10 days, once the present Army chief takes a decision, that the 'picture' may become clear, sources suggested.

The crisis arose after the appointment of Lt. Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, GOC-in-C of Dimapur-based 3 Corps, was kept on hold after he was put under the discipline and vigilance ban. He was earlier tipped to head the Eastern Com-mand and then succeed the present Army chief.

However, Gen. V.K. Singh, who retired on Thursday, slapped a showcause notice and DV ban on Lt. Gen. Suhag in May. He sought an explanation from him after allegations surfaced against Lt. Gen. Suhag of a botched operation by an intelligence unit under him at Jorhat in Assam in December.

Army sources disclosed that the present Army chief, Gen. Bikram Singh, will “take a call on the issue” and may even either revert or endorse his predecessor’s action as he has the power to do so.

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