COAS Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat. (Photo : Indian Army)
Lt Gen. Bipin Rawat has been appointed Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, bypassing two more senior officers and triggering a political controversy due to the government's disregard for the rule of seniority cherished by the Indian Armed Forces.
He succeeds Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag who retires Jan. 1, 2017.
Gen. Rawat's appointment was the first time since 1983 the most senior officer candidate wasn't appointed COAS. The most senior officers bypassed in this case were Lt. Gen. Praveen Bakshi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army's Eastern Command at Kolkata, and Lt. Gen. P M Hariz, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command with headquarters at Pune.
The long delay in appointing Gen. Singh's successor as COAS led to speculation Gen. Bakshi was out of favor with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi because of Gen. Bakshi's background as an armored corps officer.
The post of COAS traditionally has traditionally gone to a senior infantry officer of the Indian Army. The only armored corps officer recently appointed COAS was Gen. Krishnaswami Sunderji, who held the post over two decades ago.
"Why has seniority not been respected in appointment of Army Chief," asked Manish Tewari, a former government minister and leader of the opposition Congress party, in a tweet.
In reply, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party said the "government appoints people to the office based on what it considers to be the most appropriate choice."
Gen. Rawat, a counter insurgency specialist, has considerable experience working along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between areas controlled by India and Pakistan in the disputed Kashmir region.
His appointment also illustrates Modi's concern for the LoC where scores of Indian Army and Indian civilians have been killed in ongoing clashes against the Pakistan Army and Pakistani-sponsored Modlim Kashmiri separatists.
Government sources told Indian media Gen. Rawat "is the candidate best suited to deal with emerging challenges, and that his operational experience and 'general dynamism' tipped the scales in his favor."
The same source also noted Gen. Rawat has "more than 10 years of experience in counter-insurgency operations and on the Line of Control, besides serving on the China border. He has the requisite experience considering the current situation."
