General Bikram Singh took over the Reins of Indian Army

General Bikram Singh, a veteran infantry officer, assumed the charge as the 25th Chief of the Indian Army. He succeeded General V K Singh whose 26-month tenure came to end on 31 May 2012.

Bikram Singh, 59, will remain at the top position for next two years and three months. Prior to his appointment to the top post, General Bikram served as commanding officer of the Eastern Army Command. He is the second Sikh to reach the top notch position, the first having been General JJ Singh.

In his 40-year-long illustrious career with the Indian army, General Bikram Singh held a number of vital positions in counter insurgency areas as the Corps Commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps and Akhnoor-based 10 Division as Major General.

The officer joined the Sikh Light Infantry regiment on 31 March 1972 after attending the prestigious Indian MilitaryAcademy (IMA). At the IMA, he held the appointment of battalion cadet adjutant and was awarded the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles gold medal for 'tactics and leadership' and the Shriganesh Trophy.

The officer was in charge of media briefing during the Kargil war. At Military Operations Directorate in Kargil he was assigned with the task to brief the media about the developments taking place in the war.

Singh attended the US Army War College in Pennsylvania and has served with the United Nations peace force in Central America and as the deputy force commander and GOC of Eastern Division in the Democratic Republic of Congo.