Kashmir: Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai to assume charge as GOC 15 Corps on Thursday

Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla will step down as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the strategic Srinagar-based 15 Corps (Chinar), on Thursday. Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai will replace Lt Gen Aujla.

Srinagar (J&K): Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla will step down as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the strategic Srinagar-based 15 Corps (Chinar), on Thursday. He will be replaced by Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai. Lt Gen Aujla has been appointed the new Master General Sustenance (MGS) at the Army Headquarters in New Delhi.

The Chinar Corps has been entrusted with the task of anti-militancy operations in Kashmir as well as maintaining vigil on the Line of Control (LoC). According to sources in the Army, Lt Gen Aujala will be shifted to New Delhi on Thursday and Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai will assume charge of the GOC of 15 Corps.

This shuffle comes after Army Headquarters approved Lt Gen Ghai's new place of posting as 15 Corps Commander in the last month. Lt Gen Ghai who has extensive experience fighting insurgencies, was formerly assigned as Major General Staff of the Northern Command, which is situated in Udhampur.

In the Army, he was commissioned as an officer and was posted with the Kumaon Regiment. Lt Gen Ghai has held the position of GOC for the 56 Infantry Division in the Northeast in addition to his service in the Kashmir and Jammu divisions.

Pertinently, there are six operational and one training command in the 1.2 million-strength Indian Army. The Indian Army's combat units are divided into 14 Corps, each of which is under the leadership of a Lt Gen rank commander. A General Officer Commanding in Chief, General Officer Commanding, or the Corps Commander is in charge of a Command. Three or four Divisions are under each Corps.