Amid speculation of his retirement, superseded officer Lt Gen Bakshi meets Parrikar

Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, who was superseded along with another senior officer in selection of the new Army chief, on Wednesday met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar amid speculation that he may seek premature retirement or will be given a new role by the government. Defence Ministry officials termed the meeting as a “courtesy call”. They said the meeting was sought by Lt Gen Bakshi, contrary to initial claims by Army sources that Parrikar had sought the meeting.

Lt Gen Bakshi also met with Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag. Dalbir Singh is set to visit the Eastern Command in Kolkata shortly. The Army chief will hang his boots on December 31. A section of military experts feel that Lt Gen Bakshi may seek premature retirement. However, the process may take a month or two, sources said, adding that during this period he may go on leave. Lt Gen Bakshi was initially the front runner for the post of the Army chief. However, keeping aside the trend of seniority being the lone criteria, the government appointed Vice Chief of Army Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, a batch junior to Lt Gen Bakshi, as the new chief. Lt Gen Rawat, an infantry soldier, was found best suited among 3 officers to deal with challenges like cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the situation with Pakistan, both areas which the government felt will be under focus for the next 2-3 years.