Military appoints Lt Gen AK Bhatt as new director general of military ops

Lieutenant General AK Bhatt has been appointed as the country’s new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and will be in charge of all army operations including on the Line of Control (LoC) which has seen heightened tension

Lieutenant General AK Bhatt has been appointed as the country’s new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and will be in charge of all army operations including on the Line of Control (LoC) which has seen heightened tension.

Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has been appointed as General Officer Commanding of the Strike 1 Corps, of the army’s three assault forces. His earlier position as the Director General of Military Operations has been appointed to Lt. Gen. AK Bhatt.

Bhatt, a Gorkha officer, replaces Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, who has been appointed as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Mathura-based Strike 1 Corps -- one of the three assault forces of the army -- which is mandated to cross into Pakistan on short notice.

It was during the tenure of Lt Gen Singh that India carried out surgical strikes at five separate locations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to target terrorist launch pads.

Bhatt is at present posted in the army headquarters as the Additional Director General of CAB (Complaint and Advisory Board).

The appointment was cleared by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan, who headed the Strike 1 Corps, has been appointed as the new chief of the Assam Rifles.