Upendra Dwivedi

Some Lesser Known Facts About Upendra Dwivedi

• Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi is the Indian Army’s Northern Army Commander. During a press conference on 24 November 2022, he said that on the government’s order, the Indian Army was ready to take back the Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

• In 1980, Upendra Dwivedi joined the National Defence Academy (NDA), after completing his schooling at Sainik School in Rewa.

• In 1983, after completing his training at NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun. He completed his training at IMA on 15 December 1984 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 18th Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (JAK RIF).

• Following his commission into the Indian Army, Upendra reported at Army War College in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, where he completed his Young Officers (YO) Course.

• On 15 December 1995, after getting promoted to the rank of Major, Upendra was posted to an Armoured Brigade as a Brigade Major (BM). Later, he held the position of General Staff Officer-I (GSO-I) and General Staff Officer-II (GSO-II) in the Military Operations Directorate.

• On 1 April 2006, after Upendra became a Colonel, he commanded his unit, 18 JAK RIF, in the Kashmir valley after which he commanded the same unit in Rajasthan.

• On 1 December 2016, Upendra became a Major General after which he was posted at the Indo-Myanmar border as a Sector Commander of the Assam Rifles. After completing his tenure as Sector Commander, Upendra was appointed the Inspector General (GOC) of the Assam Rifles (IGAR) (East).

  

• After Upendra became a Lieutenant General on 15 July 2019, he was posted as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 9 Corps (aka Rising Star Corps) in February 2020.

  

• In December 2021, Upendra replaced Lt Gen C. P. Mohanty as the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS).

• Upendra became the Deputy Chief of Army Staff of the Information Systems and Coordination (IS & C) in April 2021 and was later invited to give a speech at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur.

• Upendra assumed the post of Colonel of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and the Laddakh Scouts Regiment in January 2022.

  

• Upendra replaced Lt Gen Y. K. Joshi as the Northern Army Commander in February 2022.

• On 24 November 2022, during a press conference that was held in Poonch, Kashmir, Upendra Dwivedi issued a statement in which he said that on the orders of the Government of India, the Indian Army is prepared to reclaim the land occupied by the Pakistan Army in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir. At the press conference, he said,
  

  The Indian army is prepared. The military is always ready to make sure that the ceasefire understanding is never broken as it is in the interest of both nations, but if it is broken at any time, we will give them a very befitting reply. The resolution on PoK has already been passed in the Parliament, there is nothing new in it. It is part of the resolution of the Parliament. The army is ready to obey every order of the government. Whenever there is an order from the government, the army will move forward with all its might.”

  On the same date, Bollywood actress Richa Chadha tweeted against the Northern Army Commander’s statement and said “Galwan says hi.” She, however, deleted her post and apologized for her remark after receiving a massive backlash from Indian Twitter users. Akshay Kumar also tweeted against Richa’s remark saying that he was “deeply hurt” by her tweet.

  

  Later, reacting to Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi’s statement, the Pakistani Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued a statement and said,

  The unwarranted statement of a high-ranking Indian Army Officer concerning Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an apt manifestation of the Indian Armed Forces’ delusional mindset and it also showcases the vivid imprint of the domestic political showboating on the Indian military thought.”

• From 25 November 2022 to 26 November 2022, Upendra Dwivedi presided over as Chairman of the 12th Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

• Upendra has also served as the AMS at the Military Secretary Branch, Colonel General Staff (Operation) of a Strike Corps, DDG, ADG, and DG Infantry, and Colonel Quarter Master General of a Mountain Division. While serving as the Director General of the Infantry, he is known to have accelerated the acquisition of modern weapons for the infantry.

• Since Upendra did academically well, he was posted as the instructor at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Higher Command Wing of the Army War College in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

• Upendra has been on two international postings. He was deployed at the United Nations Operations In Somalia II (UNOSOM II) as a part of the headquarters. Later, he held the position of Military Advisor with the Government of Seychelles.