Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 31: Decorated army officer Lt Gen B S Raju retired as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of crucial South-Western Command here today.
Raju handed over the charge to Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth.
He was an alumnus of Sainik School, Bijapur, and the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the Jat Regiment in December 1984. He hung up his boots after serving the army for 39 years.
Before being posted as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South-Western Command, Lt Gen Raju was holding the position of Vice-Chief of the army.
He served in Kashmir valley in various capacities such as the Uri Brigade Commander, GOC of Victor Force (anti-militancy unit overlooking south and central Kashmir), and GOC Chinar Corps.
During his stay, Lt Gen Raju strongly propagated for a second chance to the misguided youth as he believed it to be critical to achieving lasting peace in Jammu and Kashmir, the officials said.
He took over the command of Srinagar-based XV corps in a critical phase in 2020 when Kashmir was confronted with the twin challenges of terrorism and the COVID-19 pandemic and the tenure was defined by an improved security environment prevailing both on the Line of Control (LoC) and in Kashmir.
On the LoC, his approach combined a forward heavy deployment enabled by a dense electronic and surveillance grid. Pakistani ceasefire violations were given punitive responses resulting in operational ascendancy by the Indian Army, they said.
He was awarded the prestigious Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM) in recognition of his contribution in taking Kashmir on a positive trajectory on the path of lasting peace.
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