Dalbir Singh Suhag
General Dalbir Singh Suhag | |
---|---|
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Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles | |
In office 25 April 2019 – 22 September 2022 | |
President | Ram Nath Kovind |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Ausaf Sayeed |
Succeeded by | Kartik Pande[1] |
25th Chief of the Army Staff | |
In office 31 July 2014 – 31 December 2016 | |
President | Pranab Mukherjee |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Bikram Singh |
Succeeded by | Bipin Rawat |
Personal details | |
Born | (1954-12-28) 28 December 1954 (age 69) Jhajjar, Haryana |
Spouse | Namita Suhag (m. 1984) |
Alma mater | Sainik School, Chittorgarh National Defence Academy Indian Military Academy |
Awards | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 16 June 1974 – 31 December 2016 |
Rank | ![]() |
Unit | 4/5 Gorkha Rifles |
Commands | Chief of the Army Staff Vice Chief of the Army Staff ![]() III Corps 8 Mountain Division Special Frontier Force 53 Infantry Brigade 33 Rashtriya Rifles |
Battles/wars | Operation Pawan Operation Vijay Operation Parakram |
General Dalbir Singh Suhag, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC (born 28 December 1954) is the former Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles and a former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army.[2] He was the 25th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, serving from 31 July 2014 to 31 December 2016, and Vice Chief of the Army Staff prior to that.[3]
Early life and education
Singh, born on December 28, 1954, is a third-generation soldier, son of Ishari Devi and Ch Ramphal Singh, a Risaldar-major in the 18th Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army. He is from Bishan village of Jhajjar district, Haryana, India.[4][3][5]
Singh completed his primary education in his native village and then moved to Sainik School, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan for his secondary education in 1965 before joining the National Defence Academy in 1970.[6] He holds master's degrees in Management Studies and Strategic Studies and has also completed the Executive Course offered by the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii as well as the Senior Mission Leaders Course of the United Nations Peace Keeping Centre in Nairobi.[4][7][8]
Military career
Singh was commissioned into the 4th battalion of the 5 Gorkha Rifles on 16 June 1974.[citation needed] He was an instructor at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun after which he served as a company commander during Operation Pawan in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He commanded 33 Rashtriya Rifles in Nagaland. He then commanded the 53 Infantry Brigade, which was involved in counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley from July 2003 to March 2005, and the 8th Mountain Division in Kargil from October 2007 to December 2008.[4][9] He was also appointed as the Inspector General of the Special Frontier Force.[10][11]
Singh has completed various Indian and foreign courses including LDMC at College of Defence Management in 1997–98, National Defence College in 2006, Executive Course in USA in 2005 and Senior Mission Leaders Course (UN) in Kenya in 2007.[12]
General Officer Commanding III Corps
Singh took command of the III Corps, headquartered in Dimapur, in northeast Indian state of Nagaland. In 2012, he was put under a 'Discipline and Vigilance' ban by the then outgoing Army Chief General V K Singh. Singh's unit had allegedly botched up a military intelligence operation in Jorhat, Assam, which happened during his tenure as the III Corps commander.[13][14] The 'Discipline and Vigilance' ban was, however, subsequently revoked by the next army chief General Bikram Singh with the concurrence of Minister of Defence A K Antony.[13]
General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command
After promotion to Army Commander grade, he took over as the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Eastern Army based in Kolkata on 16 June 2012[15][12] and served it that capacity until 31 December 2013.
Vice Chief of the Army staff
Singh replaced Lt Gen Sri Krishna Singh as the Vice Chief of Army staff (VCOAS) on 31 December 2013. He held this post until 30 July 2014.[3][9]
Chief of the Army staff
On 14 May 2014, Government of India announced its decision to appoint Singh as next Chief of the Army staff.[citation needed] His name was recommended by the Defence Ministry of India to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) which was headed by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He assumed charge as Chief of the Army staff on 31 July 2014 following the retirement of General Bikram Singh, and served in that capacity until 31 December 2016.[16][17] He is the second officer from the Gorkha Rifles to become the Chief of the Army, after the late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.[4][3][13]
Row over appointment
On 7 July 2014, the Supreme Court of India declined to stay or stall Singh's appointment as next Army Chief,[18] in response to a petition filed by Lt Gen Ravi Dastane challenging his appointment as Eastern Army Commander.[19] The Bench observed that there is no reason and urgency to stay the appointment [20] and that the petition pertained to Singh's appointment as army commander and hence issues relating to appointment of army chief did not have to be dealt with at this stage.[18] Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi representing the Government of India, also justified the appointment, arguing that there was nothing in the allegations levelled and that Singh fulfilled all the criteria for the post including being senior-most in the seniority list. He also said that the ban imposed on Singh in 2012 had been lifted and he had been discharged from all charges.[20] Earlier on 10 June 2014, the central government had told the Supreme Court that the alleged lapses which were made as grounds to impose disciplinary ban on Army Vice Chief Dalbir Singh by then Army Chief V K Singh, were "premeditated", "vague" and "illegal".[21]
Honours and decorations
Military awards
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General Suhag has received the following medals and decorations throughout his military career:
- Param Vishisht Seva Medal for services of exceptionally high order to the nation.
- Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for counter-insurgency operations in the North-Eastern states in addition to the conventional operational role along the Indo-China border.
- Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for commanding Mountain Division in the Kargil-Dras sector at high altitude near Line of Control.
- Vishisht Seva Medal for intense counter-insurgency operations in the Kashmir valley.[4]
- Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) for exceptionally meritorious service as CoAS of the Indian Army.[22][23]
Dates of rank
Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 16 June 1974[24] |
![]() | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 16 June 1976[25] |
![]() | Captain | Indian Army | 16 June 1980[26] |
![]() | Major | Indian Army | 16 June 1985[27] |
![]() | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 30 December 1994[28] |
![]() | Colonel | Indian Army | 1 July 1997[29] |
![]() | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 August 2004[30] |
![]() | Major General | Indian Army | 1 February 2008 (seniority from 2 July 2007)[31] |
![]() | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 19 July 2010[32] |
![]() | General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 August 2014[33] |
Personal life
Singh is married to Namita Suhag. She is a graduate from Delhi University with a degree in political science. The couple have three children, two daughters and a son.[8] Known as a sportsperson, he takes special interest in physical activities like riding and swimming. His personal hobbies include daily run of 10 km, horse-riding and playing golf.[4]
See also
- Chief of the Army Staff (India)
References
- ^ "Shri Kartik Pande appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Seychelles".
- ^ "Former Army chief Dalbir Suhag appointed Indian envoy to Seychelles". The Economic Times. PTI. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Lt Gen Suhag appointed as next Army chief". The Hindu. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "A Profile of India's 26th Army Chief". Press Information Bureau. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "Dalbir Singh Suhag is the new Army chief". Moneylife. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ "General who lets his dog disobey". Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ "GENERAL DALBIR SINGH, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC". Indian Army. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag to be next Army Chief". The Statesman. 14 May 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag will be next vice chief of army". DNA. 12 December 2013. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh appointed next Army chief". India Today. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "CBI turns down Army Chief's request to investigate serving general". NDTV. 30 March 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag named India's new Army chief". The Economic Times. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ a b c "Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag named new Army chief". The Times of India. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ Yadav, Nilesh (26 May 2012). "Army Chief V K Singh clarifies row about his Show Cause Notice". Bihar Prabha (Biharprabha News). Archived from the original on 3 May 2014.
- ^ Pandit, Rajat (12 May 2014). "Govt set to announce Lt Gen Suhag as next Army chief despite BJP objections". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Will be the Next Chief of Army Staff". Press Information Bureau. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag takes over as new Army chief". Rediff.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ a b "SC refuses to stall appointment of Lt Gen Suhag as next Army chief". Indian Express. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ "Supreme Court refuses to stay Lt Gen Dalbir Suhag's appointment as Army Chief". ZeeNews. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Supreme Court refuses to stay appointment of Dalbir Singh Suhag as next Army Chief". The Hindu. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ "Grounds for imposing ban on Lt Gen Suhag was 'premeditated': Centre to Supreme Court". The Economic Times. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ Sura, Ajay (19 August 2018). "General Suhag awarded US 'Legion of Merit'". The Times of India. TNN. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ "General Orders No. 2018–33" (PDF). Washington, DC: Headquarters Department of the Army. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 August 1975. p. 1082.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 16 October 1976. p. 1427.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 20 June 1981. p. 841.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 28 February 1987. p. 305.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 13 April 1996. p. 553.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 30 October 1999. p. 1475.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 25 November 2006. p. 1756.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 21 February 2009. p. 251.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 14 May 2011. p. 964.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 8 November 2014. p. 2010.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- General Dalbir Singh, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM at the Indian Army official website
- Ascent of a General: A Profile of India’s 26th Army Chief at the Press Information Bureau official website
Diplomatic posts | ||
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Preceded by | Indian High Commissioner to Seychelles 25 April 2019 - 22 September 2022 | Succeeded by Kartik Pande |
Military offices | ||
Preceded by Bikram Singh | Chief of Army Staff 1 August 2014 – 31 December 2016 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by S K Singh | Vice Chief of Army Staff 1 January 2014 – 31 July 2014 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by Bikram Singh | General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command 16 June 2012 – 31 December 2013 | Succeeded by |
Preceded by | General Officer Commanding III Corps | Succeeded by |
- v
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Indian Army (1947–1948)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Flag_COAS.svg/200px-Flag_COAS.svg.png)
Commander-in-Chief,
Indian Army (1948–1955)
(1955–present)
- Rajendrasinhji Jadeja
- S. M. Shrinagesh
- Kodandera Subayya Thimayya
- Pran Nath Thapar
- Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri
- Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam
- Sam Manekshaw
- Gopal Gurunath Bewoor
- Tapishwar Narain Raina
- Om Prakash Malhotra
- K. V. Krishna Rao
- Arun Shridhar Vaidya
- Krishnaswamy Sundarji
- Vishwa Nath Sharma
- Sunith Francis Rodrigues
- Bipin Chandra Joshi
- Shankar Roychowdhury
- Ved Prakash Malik
- Sundararajan Padmanabhan
- Nirmal Chander Vij
- Joginder Jaswant Singh
- Deepak Kapoor
- Vijay Kumar Singh
- Bikram Singh
- Dalbir Singh
- Bipin Rawat
- Manoj Mukund Naravane
- Manoj Pande
- Upendra Dwivedi (incumbent)