New Delhi, May 14 – A fitness freak, who regularly climbed to high altitude forward posts as commander of the Kargil division, Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh has waded through a swamp of controversies to become the next chief of Army staff.
The UPA government, gasping for air in its last moments, cleared Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh’s name for the post on Tuesday though a formal announcement from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) was not made till late in the night.
Dalbir Singh is set to replace General Bikram Singh, who retires on July 31. Dalbir Singh’s name was cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Tuesday, a day after exit polls predicted the UPA’s rout.
The BJP opposed his promotion, citing that the UPA government in its last leg had shown undue haste in making him the chief, opening the decision to scrutiny. The BJP’s tirade against Dalbir Singh’s promotion was spearheaded by former Army chief Gen V.K. Singh, who had taken punitive action against him in the past.
V.K. Singh had imposed a promotion ban on Dalbir Singh for the “rogue” behaviour of an intelligence unit of 3 Corps, which he was commanding. The ban was lifted days after V.K. Singh retired on May 31, 2012 and Dalbir Singh was appointed the eastern Army commander.
The alleged deeds of the “rogue” unit were re-opened a few weeks ago when a petition was filed in the Manipur High Court seeking action against Dalbir Singh for the killing of three men in Jorhat. The petition was dismissed on technical grounds and the government made it clear that it was “motivated”.
Earlier in his career, Dalbir Singh had come out unscathed in a probe in the purchase of parachutes when he was the IG of the Special Frontier Force. Dalbir Singh is known in the Army circle for his love of long distance running and a frugal and austere way of life. The UPA government went by seniority to appoint him the chief just three days before the announcement of the results of the Lok Sabha elections 2014.
-INDIA TODAY
