Panaji: General Bipin Rawat and Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa yesterday took over as the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Air staff from General Dalbir Singh and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha respectively.
General Rawat's appointment as the 27th Army chief courted controversy as the Eastern Army Commander Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi and Southern Army Commander Lt. Gen. P.M. Hariz were superseded in the process. Yesterday, however, Lt. Gen Bakshi squashed speculation about his resignation and telephoned General Bipin Rawat to congratulate him.
The two outgoing chiefs laid wreaths at the Amar Jawan Jyoti here ahead of handing over charge to their successors.
General Singh, after inspecting a Guard of Honour in the lawns of South Block, said he had promised "more than adequate, immediate and intense" response to any action, and that the Indian Army had delivered on it during the two and a half years he was at the helm.
"...I strongly believe that actions must speak louder than words. The day I took over as Chief of the Army Staff I had said that our response to any action will be more than adequate, immediate and intense," General Singh said.
During General Singh's tenure, Indian Army conducted two surgical strikes -- one in the eastern front along the Myanmar border in June 2015 in response to an ambush in Manipur in which 18 soldiers died; and second in September this year across the Line of Control in response to the Uri attack in which 19 soldiers were killed.
General Rawat had played key roles in both the strikes -- as Corps Commander of Dimapur-based 3 Corps in the Myanmar strike and as Vice Chief of Army Staff in the attack across the LoC.
The outgoing Army chief said the focus of the Army has been on operational preparedness and training.
