Sarath Chand
| Lieutenant General Sarath Chand PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Kurumbalur, Kerala |
| Allegiance |
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| Service/ |
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| Years of service | June 1979 – 31 May 2018 |
| Rank |
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| Service number | IC-35904Y |
| Unit | Garhwal Rifles |
| Commands held |
 IV Corps |
| Battles/wars |
Operation Pawan Operation Rhino Operation Falcon |
| Awards |
    |
| Spouse(s) | Bindu |
Lieutenant General Sarath Chand, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, VSM was the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) of the Indian Army and assumed office on 13 January 2017 after General Bipin Rawat was promoted to Chief of Army Staff (COAS).[1][2][3] He retired on 31 May 2018 and was succeeded by Lt General Devraj Anbu.[4]
Early life and education
Chand was born in Kurumbalur, Kerala and is the son of late N. Prabhakaran Nair and G. Saradamma. He is an alumnus of Devi Vilasam Upper Primary School, Neduvathoor; Sainik School, Kazhakootam[5], National Defence Academy, Pune and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He also attended Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; higher command course at Army War College, Mhow and a National Defence College, New Delhi.[1][6]
Career
Chand was commissioned into Garhwal Rifles in June 1979. He has vast experience spanning over 38 years and has served in all operational theatres and held active combat leadership role at every stage of command. He has commanded a company in the Kargil Sector of Ladakh and another company during Operation Pawan as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. He has also commanded a battalion in Operation Rhino, targeted at infiltrators in Assam and Operation Falcon, along the Line of Actual control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh; an infantry brigade in the desert, a counter-insurgency force in the Kashmir valley, IV Corps (Tezpur) and GOC-C South Western Command (Jaipur). In addition, he has held numerous staff and instructional appointments including instructor of the commando wing in infantry school . He was also served in the United Nations mission in Somalia (UNOSOM-II).[7][3] He has also served as Colonel of the Regiment of Garhwal Rifles.[8]
During 38 years of his career he has been awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2006, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2014, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2016 [6][9][10] and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2018. [11]
Honours and decorations
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Personal life
He is married to Bindu and they have two sons; Abhilash Chand, a major in the Indian Army Corps of Engineers and Abhijit Chand, a naval lieutenant.[6]
References
- 1 2 "Lt General Sarath Chand appointed new Vice Chief of Army Staff". The Indian Express. 2017-01-12. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ↑ Correspondent, Special. "Lt. Gen. Sarath Chand embarks on new role". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- 1 2 "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ↑ "Lt Gen Devraj Anbu is the new Vice Chief of Army Staff". The Indian Express. 2018-05-24. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ "Sainik Schools to be more affordable". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
- 1 2 3 "Lt Gen Sarath Chand, a Keralite, to replace Bipin Rawat as army vice-chief". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ↑ "Lt Gen Sarath Chand, a Keralite, to replace Bipin Rawat as army vice-chief". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ↑ "Lt Gen Cherish Mathson appointed Colonel of Regiment of Garhwal Rifles". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ↑ "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ↑ "Press Information Bureau". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
- ↑ "390 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced".
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Arun Kumar Sahni |
General Officer Commander-in-Chief South Western Command 1 February 2016 – 12 January 2017 |
Succeeded by Abhay Krishna |
| Preceded by |
General Officer Commanding IV Corps | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Bipin Rawat |
Vice Chief of Army Staff 13 January 2017 – 31 May 2018 |
Succeeded by Devraj Anbu |