lt-gen-pratik-sharma-takes-over-as-new-northern-army-chief

Lt Gen M V Sachindra Kumar on Wednesday relinquished the command of Udhampur-based Northern Command on his retirement after achieving the superannuation age. Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will be the new general officer commanding-in-chief of the northern command and will assume office on Thursday amid the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan following the April 22 terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.

 

 “Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar, Army Commander Northern Command laid wreath to honour the supreme sacrifice of the bravehearts at Dhruva War Memorial, Udhampur on superannuation and relinquishing command of the Northern Command,” Army said in a post on X.

 Lt Gen Kumar had taken over the command -- responsible for security and operations along India’s northern borders, including J-K, parts of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh -- from Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the present army chief, in February last year and his tenure lasted for 15-months.

 

Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, the new commander-in-chief of the Udhampur-based Northern Army  is replacing Lt Gen MV Suchendra Kumar after his 15-month tenure in office.

 

The incumbent Lt General Suchindra Kumar retires on April 30 with an illustrious service of more than 30 years.

 

With an illustrious career spanning across three decades, Lt General Sharma is an infantry officer who has served in varied operational environments. He was a part of key operations such as operations Pawan, Meghdoot, Rakshak and Parakram.

 

Lt Gen Sharma has held key appointments, including Director General Military Operations, Military Secretary branch. He was also the Director General of Information Warfare at the newly institutionalised Information Directorate at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.

Recently, when the Army Chief visited Srinagar, Lt. Gen. Sharma also accompanied him for a security review as he will soon assume responsibility. 

 

The Northern Command headquarters is located in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur and is directly responsible for the security of the LOC and the union territory.