Lt Gen Dwivedi relinquishes command of Northern Command

Srinagar, Feb 18: Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi Sunday relinquished the command of Udhampur-based Northern Command and Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar replaced him.

“#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC laid wreath to honour the supreme sacrifice of the brave hearts at Dhruva War Memorial, #Udhampur on relinquishing command of the #DhruvaCommand #Bravehearts #DhruvaCommand @lg_ladakh @OfficeOfLGJandK @prodefencejammu @adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @DefenceMinIndia,” Northern Command-Indian Army posted on X with pictures with Lt Gen Dwivedi laying the wreath.

Official sources said Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar would be taking over as GOC-in-Chief Northern Command on Monday morning.

Lt Gen Dwivedi took over as GOC-in-C, Northern Command in February 2022.

He took over as GOC-in-C Northern Command from Lt Gen Y K Joshi who superannuated on January 31, 2022.

The Northern Command is responsible for the Line of Control (LoC), the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and a small portion of the International Border (IB).

Dwivedi is one of the frontrunners for the post of the Army chief as he would be the senior-most general when General Manoj Pande retires on May 31, 2024.

He is an alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, National Defence Academy, and Indian Military Academy.

Lt Gen Kumar has been the Vice Chief for around a year after he was promoted to the rank of Army Commander.

He served as the 16 Corps commander earlier and has served in multiple command and staff roles.

Lieutenant General M V Suchindra Kumar takes over the reins of the Northern Command at a time when India and China have been locked in a dragging military standoff along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since May 2020, and a full resolution of the border crisis through ongoing negotiations still appears elusive.

The situation along LAC in the Ladakh sector is “stable, yet sensitive”, Pande said in January.

Before taking over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, Kumar was tenanting the appointment of Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) at Army Headquarters.

He has experience in intelligence, operations, force structuring, operational logistics, and tech infusion in his recent appointments.

“An alumnus of Sainik School Bijapur and National Defence Academy, the General Officer was commissioned into 1 Assam Regiment in June 1985. He has commanded 59 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion (ASSAM), an Infantry Brigade and an Infantry Division on the Line of Control and the highly active White Knight Corps in Northern Command,” officials said.

The General Officer has held various staff and instructional appointments including an instructional tenure at Infantry School, Mhow, Senior Operations Officer in the United Nations Sector in Cambodia, Colonel (Policy) in the Military Secretary Branch, Indian Army Training Team at Lesotho, Brigadier General Staff (Operations) of a Corps in the Eastern Theatre, Additional Director General Military Intelligence and Director General Military Intelligence at Army Headquarters.