Lt Gen JS Sandhu takes over as commander of Army`s Srinagar-based Chinar Corps

Srinagar: Lt Gen JS Sandhu on Tuesday took over as the Commander of the army`s Srinagar-headquartered Chinar Corps.

A defence ministry statement said Lt Gen Satish Dua handed over the charge to Lt Gen Sandhu as its 46th Corps Commander.

"Commissioned into the regiment of 5th Gorkha Rifles, Lt Gen Sandhu has had an illustrious military career spanning 36 years during which he held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments," said an official statement.

He also had an incisive understanding of Jammu and Kashmir, having served five earlier times in the state including while in command of an Infantry Battalion on the Line of Control, a Mountain Brigade and the elite Kupwara Division.

"A Graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Higher Command Course and National Defence College, Gen Sandhu has also served in the Army Headquarters, Infantry School, Army War College and the DSSC.

"He also represented the country in the Indian Embassy at Kathmandu," the statement said.

On assuming charge, Lt Gen Sandhu said the army had played a significant role during the ongoing phase of unrest assisting the civil administration in restoring peace and calm in the Kashmir Valley.

Outgoing Gen Dua`s tenure would be defined by the surgical strikes in Pakistani territory in September launched by the army in response to the terror attack on the army camp in Uri.