Reshuffle in Army ranks

With a set of senior officers retiring, the top Army brass is due for a reshuffle and Army Chief Deepak Kapoor is keen to bring in his men to the headquarters. The biggest change will be at the number two position after Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Milan Naidu, retires at the end of the year. The present commander of the Southern army, Lt Gen Noble Thamburaj, is set to take his place. Lt Gen V K Singh, the next Army chief, will have to wait till Thamburaj retires for a stint at the number two position in New Delhi. At the crucial Adjutant General’s branch, the top slot is set to go to Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal, the commander of the sensitive 15 Corps. The Srinagar-based Corps will get Lt Gen Bikram Singh, who is just back after commanding a UN mission in Congo that came under the scanner after several Indian peacekeepers were accused of child abuse and other offences, as the next commander.