Srinagar: Lieutenant General B S Raju who will take over as the new Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) handed over the charge of the strategic XV Corps of the Army, which guards the Line of Control in Kashmir Valley, to Lt Gen D P Pandey on Wednesday.
At a simple ceremony held at the headquarters of the Srinagar-based XV Corps, the baton was handed over to Lt Gen Pandey, who was earlier serving as the Director General of Territorial Army. He has also served in Kashmir as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the counter-insurgency Kilo Force.
In his farewell message to the XV Corps also known as ‘Chinar Corps’, Lt Gen Raju complimented all ranks for their dedication and hard work and thanked police, central armed paramilitary forces, civil administration, and the people for their relentless support in the joint efforts towards peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir.
On taking over command, Lt. Gen Pandey paid homage at the Chinar Corps Memorial at Badami Bagh and later addressed and interacted with troops of Chinar Corps and exhorted them to continue to work with unflinching dedication and perseverance “in pursuit of peace and stability in Kashmir”, defence spokesperson said in a press release.
“He asked for all combatants to take extra steps required to connect with citizens in order to jointly work towards the common cause.”
Lt. Gen Pandey, an alumni of the National Defence Academy, Pune, was commissioned in December 1985 and has had an illustrious military career spanning 35 years during which he has held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments, the press release said, adding that he has an “incisive understanding” of Jammu & Kashmir, having served here for multiple tenures since 1985, notably as General Officer Commanding, Counter Insurgency Force (Kilo) and as Commander 8 Sector Rashtriya Rifles.
A postgraduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Tamil Nadu) & National War College, Washington DC (USA), the General was also posted as Military Observer in United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia.
On assuming charge, Lt. Gen Pandey conveyed his best wishes to the people of Kashmir. He reiterated his commitment to closely work with various instruments of state and civil society to further the cause of peace and prosperity in Kashmir.
He expressed satisfaction at the improved security parameters in the Valley and hoped that ceasefire on Line of Control will enable an improvement in the security situation. He called for civil society to come forward and jointly work with security forces to address the “scourge of terrorism”, the press release said.
