Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, a highly decorated officer with extensive operational experience, took over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian Army’s Northern Command on Thursday, officials confirmed.
He succeeds Lt Gen M V Suchindra Kumar, who retired on April 30 after an illustrious four-decade-long career in the Army.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence, Lt Gen Sharma has a distinguished service record, having led an infantry battalion, a brigade, and a division along the Line of Control, and a strike corps in the Western Sector.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, and the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, Lt Gen Sharma was commissioned into the Madras Regiment in December 1987. He has also completed the Higher Command Course and studied at the National Defence College, New Delhi.
In addition to his field commands, he has held several important staff and instructional appointments, including a stint as a staff officer in a United Nations mission.
As Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar stepped down, the Indian Army paid tribute on social media, thanking him for his outstanding leadership, commitment to professionalism, and unblemished service to the nation.
