Latest news with #DCOAS
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Retired Indian general targeted with false dismissal claims
"Amidst a severe intelligence failure, Indian Army has wasted no time in sacking experienced Northern Command, Commander Lieutenant General Suchindra Kumar from command," says a Facebook post shared April 29, 2025. "He has been replaced by incumbent DCOAS Strategy Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma who was rushed from New Delhi yesterday," it adds, along with pictures of the two men. The claim also surfaced on X, and was mentioned in a report from Pakistani broadcaster ARY News after gunmen killed 26 people in a tourist hotspot in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir. New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing the assault, a charge Pakistan denies. Despite calls from the international community to step back from the brink of war, the arch-rivals escalated their standoff by exchanging heavy artillery along their contested frontier in the worst violence in two decades (archived link). At least 43 deaths were reported, with Islamabad saying 31 civilians were killed by the Indian strikes and firing along the border, and New Delhi adding at least 12 dead from Pakistani shelling. India's Press Information Bureau, however, earlier refuted claims that Kumar was facing a probe or had been sacked. In a statement posted on X on April 30, 2025, it blamed Pakistan's Intelligence Inter-Services Intelligence for spreading the rumour. Kumar "has superannuated on 30 Apr 2025," the agency said (archived link). Keyword searches on Google found multiple news reports and social media posts that Kumar had announced his retirement and would be replaced by Pratik Sharma before the Kashmir attack (archived here, here, here and here). "Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar after completing an illustrious career of four decades in the Indian Army, today relinquished the Command of Indian Army's Northern Command," reads a post shared April 30 on an X account of the army's public information office (archived link). "He was given a befitting farewell by the brave men and women of the Command," it goes on to say, sharing a post that includes images of the retirement ceremony. AFP has debunked other false claims stemming from the attack in Kashmir here, here and here.
The Print
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Lt Gen Pratik Sharma takes over as Northern Army Commander amid heightened tensions with Pakistan
The DCOAS (strategy) oversees critical directorates within the Indian Army, including operations and intelligence. Lt Gen Sharma, who was earlier the deputy chief of the Indian Army (strategy), takes over following the superannuation of Lt Gen M.V. Suchindra Kumar on 30 April. New Delhi: Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma Thursday took over as the general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) of the critical Northern Command amid heightened tensions with Pakistan on one side and continued stand-off with China on the other. Commissioned into the 2nd Battalion of the Madras Regiment, the new Northern Army commander has served as the director general of military operations (DGMO), the crucial wing of the Indian Army that oversees the operational requirements and strategies. Lt Gen Sharma has also served as the commander of the Ambala-based 2 Corps, also known as the Kharga Corps, which is one of the two Strike Corps meant for the Western borders. He has also commanded a Division in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Incidentally, Lt Gen Sharma had been stationed in Kashmir since the Pahalgam attack and was part of all security briefings and planning. The Northern Command looks after both the borders with Pakistan and China, besides having a counter-infiltration and counter-terrorism role. In over three decades, Lt Gen Sharma has served in multiple operational environments, including Operation Pawan, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF)'s operation in Jaffa, Sri Lanka in the late 1980s; Operation Meghdoot, the 1984 Indian Army operation to take back the Siachen Glacier, which continues; Operation Rakshak, a counter-terrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir that began in the 1990s; and Operation Parakram, the 2001-02 standoff between India and Pakistan. He has also served in the military secretary branch and was the director general, (information warfare), a recently institutionalised information directorate at the Army headquarters in New Delhi. Other key appointments Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, who was earlier the air officer commanding-in-chief of Central Air Command in Allahabad, has taken over as the new chief of integrated defence staff (CISC) following the superannuation of Lt Gen J.P. Mathew. A seasoned test pilot and qualified flying instructor with over 3,300 flying hours, Air Marshal Dixit brings in extensive operational and planning experience and has commanded a Mirage squadron. He will be replaced by Air Marshal Balakrishnan Manikantan, currently AOC-in-C of the Southern Air Command. Meanwhile, Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari has taken over as the new vice-chief of the Air Staff following the superannuation of Air Marshal S.P. Dharkar. Tiwari was earlier commanding the South Western Air Command in Gandhinagar, and he will be replaced by the current Training Command Chief, Air Marshal Nagesh Kapoor. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Ultra & Alpine Quest—technologies that keep Pakistani terrorists, especially LeT, going in J&K
