Statesman News Service

Kolkata, 1 January

Lieutenant General Man Mohan Singh Rai, AVSM, VSM, today took over as the 24 General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Eastern Command here in Kolkata.

He succeeds Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh who relinquished the position on 31 December on being elevated as the Vice Chief of Army Staff in the Army Headquarters in Delhi.

Lt-Gen Rai is the first officer from the Army’s Corps of Engineers to head an Army command and that too an important one such as the Eastern Command whose jurisdiction extends to the whole of seven north-eastern states and West Bengal.

Lt-Gen Rai is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into service from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on 15 December 1976. He has rich operational and command experience; amongst the several important positions held by him include commanding an armoured engineer regiment in the plains, a mountain brigade in the north-east and a Rashtriya Rifles Force in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prior to this new appointment as the Eastern Army Commander, Lt-Gen Singh Rai was placed as the Chief of Staff of the South Western Command headquartered at Jaipur, Rajasthan. He was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) as a Brigadier and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) as GOC for distinguished service.

On taking over as the Eastern Army Comman-der today, Lt-Gen Singh Rai first paid homage at

the Vijay Smarak at Fort William by laying a wreath.