Dehradun: Lt General Santosh Kumar Upadhya has been appointed as the new Commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA). An alumnus of the National Defence Academy and IMA, he was commissioned in 1981 in the 13th Battalion of Garhwal Rifles.
Lt Gen Santosh Kumar Upadhya took over as the 47th Commandant of the prestigious Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, today. A decorated soldier, Lt Gen Upadhya is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. Thereafter, he was commissioned into the 13th Battalion the Garhwal Rifles in December 1981. During his three-decade plus career, he has varied experience.He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, College of Defence Management, and National Defence College and recipient of Sena Medal (Distinguished), Vishisht Seva Medal, Chief of the Army Staff Commendation Card and GOC-in-C’s Commendation Card. Apart from commanding his battalion brigade and division, he has held varied staff and instructional appointments and twice served with the United Nations in Rwanda and Cote D’lvoire. He has a rich experience of raising new organisations, first at Officers Training Academy, Gaya, and then at the helm of an Infantry Division as part of Mountain Strike Corps. He was Additional Director General, Procurement at the Army HQ, New Delhi, before assuming the present appointment. — TNS