Army's Bengal Area turns 120

One of the oldest static formations of the Indian Army in the eastern region, Headquarters Bengal Area which participated with distinction in World War II, 1962 and 1971 operations, turned 120 today.
Bengal Area Headquarters was raised as Bengal Command at Fort William on March 1, 1895, by Lt Gen Sir W K Ells.
It moved to its present location at 246, AJC Bose Road in September 1995.
Lt Gen Raman Dhawan, General Officer Commanding, Bengal Area addressed all ranks of the formation in a special 'Sainik Sammelan' and conveyed his greetings to them, civilian staff and their families.
Besides operational wartime tasks, the formation also supports the logistics requirements of fighting formations and units of Eastern Command in war and peace.

It is also the 'local military authority' acting as a link between the state government and the Army besides being the custodian of the 'Maidan' area and all army land around Kolkata.
It also provides assistance to the state government in case of calamities, disasters or when required in entire West Bengal and bordering districts of Bihar.
In October 2013, when Kasai river in East Midnapore displaced several thousand villagers, army columns under this formation were dispatched to assist the local population.