Lt Gen Naravane to take over as 28th Army Chief tomorrow

Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane will take over as the 28th Army chief on Tuesday, succeeding General Bipin Rawat whose three-year tenure as chief will end tomorrow.

Lieutenant General Naravane is presently the Vice Chief of Army Staff and would be the 28th Army Chief in the post-independence era.

With Naravane's appointment, all the three services Chiefs including Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria, Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh would be from the 56th course of the National Defence Academy.

Naravane would be taking over as the Chief of Army Staff on December 31.

His appointment comes at a time when India and Pakistan are having tensions due to provocations by Islamabad through terror activities.

A Sikh Light Infantry officer, Naravane was the Chief of the Eastern Command in Kolkata prior to moving to Delhi and was the brain behind the recently conducted major exercises along the eastern border.

Commissioned into 7th Sikh Light Infantry in June 1980, Lt Gen Naravane has vast experience in Counter-Insurgency Operations in Kashmir and Northeast India.

He commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and was the Inspector General of Assam Rifles as a Major General.

He was also the Delhi Area, General Officer Commanding, a couple of years before moving out for other command appointments.

Lieutenant General Naravane is married to Veena Naravane, who is a teacher and they have two daughters.