Lt Gen Deshpande takes charge of Chetak Corps in Bathinda; Lt Gen SS Kartikeya has taken command of the Brahmastra Corps

Lieutenant General Vikrant Suresh Deshpande has been appointed as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Chetak Corps in Bathinda. He takes over the baton from Lt Gen Shamsher Singh Virk.

An infantry officer, Lt Gen Deshpande has extensive experience in counter-infiltration and counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the north-east. He has also commanded an infantry division on the northern borders.

On assuming command of the Corps, tasked with the defence of southern Punjab and northern Rajasthan, he exhorted all ranks to continue their relentless efforts towards enhancing operational effectiveness and combat readiness.

Lt Gen Virk had led the Corps with distinction, reinforcing operational readiness, jointness and military-civil synergy since May 2025, the South Western Command said on September 1.

Lt Gen SS Kartikeya has taken command of the Brahmastra Corps from Lt Gen Yash Ahlawat. Based at Panagarh in West Bengal, the Corps is a strike formation specially raised for operations along the high-altitude border with China.

Lt Gen Kartikeya has earlier served as the GOC of the Red Shield Division based at Leimakhong in Manipur.

Lieutenant General IS Panjrath has assumed the appointment of Director General, Army Air Defence, at Army Headquarters, while Lt Gen Amit Rao has taken over as the Commandant of the Army Air Defence College in Gopalpur.

Lieutenant General Sandeep Narang has been appointed as the Commandant of the Military College of Materials Management in Jabalpur. He takes over from Lt Gen Sanjay Sethi, who has superannuated.

On the medical front, Surgical Vice Admiral Dilip Raghavan has been appointed as the Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) in the Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services. He is an alumnus of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) and a renowned ENT and neuro-otologist.

Air Marshal Vivek Hande has taken over as the Director General Medical Services (Air). An alumnus of AFMC, he is a gastroenterologist and has commanded the Indian Naval Hospital Ship Asvini.