Maj Gen Konsam Himalaya Singh, a specialist in Jammu and Kashmir operations and hailing from Manipur, has become the first officer of the Army from the Northeast region to be promoted as Lieutenant General.
His name was cleared in the latest promotion list of the force and he will soon proceed to command a Corps formation, Army officials said today.
The officer, who is the second-in-command of the Bhopal-based 21 Strike Corps, hails from the Charangpat village in Thoubal district of Manipur.
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The officer has achieved this feat at a time when there have been several reports about discrimination against students and people from the region in different parts, including the death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania last month here.
An alumnus of the Sainik School in Goalpara, Assam, Singh was commissioned in the 2 Rajput batallion in 1978 and commanded 27 Rajput when it was based in Siachen.
A specialist in Jammu and Kashmir operations having done five stints there, the officer was awarded the Yudh Sewa Medal for his unit's gallant actions during the Kargil war in 1999.
Two IAF officials Air Marshals P K Barbora and SK Gogoi have become three-star officers in the armed forces but Singh is the first from the northeast region to achieve this feat in the 1.3 million-strong force.
