Srinagar, January 23: Kargil War Hero and recipient of Vir Chakra, Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi has been appointed as new Northern Army Commander. Lt Gen Joshi will succeed Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, who is superannuating on January 31. The Kargil War hero is currently the Chief of staff of the Northern Command. He had assumed charge from Lt Gen SK Sharma in October last year. Kargil War Hero Lt Gen Yogesh Kumar Joshi Takes Charge As Commander Of 14 Corps Of Indian Army.

Lt Gen Joshi also served as commander of Leh based Fire and Fury Corps. He assumed the command from Lt. Gen. SK Upadhyay. The Kargil war hero also commanded a Brigade and a Division in Leh, besides serving as Director General, Infantry.

During the Kargil war, the then Lt. Colonel, Joshi led the 13th Battalion of the J&K Rifles to launch four successful attacks during the Operation Vijay in 1999. In one of the attacks on Point 4875, Captain Vikram Batra of Lt Gen Joshi's battalion laid down his life. The point is now called Batra Top. For his gallant effort, Lt Gen Joshi was awarded Vir Chakra. Kargil Vijay Diwas 2018: Social Media Pays Tribute to Martyrs of 1999 Kargil War.

Meanwhile, Lt Gen CP Mohanty will also take charges of Southern Command. He will assume charge from Lt Gen SK Saini, who is appointed as the next Vice Chief of Army Staff. Lt Gen Saini will take charge on January 25.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 23, 2020 09:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).