BS Raju Wiki, Height, Age, Wife, Kids, Family, Biography & More

Baggavalli Somasekhara Raju is a serving Lieutenant General of the Indian Army. He became the 44th Deputy Chief of the Army Staff on 1 May 2022. BS Raju is also known for improving communication between the Indian Army and the Kashmiri people. He is also credited for adopting a humanitarian approach while dealing with terrorists in Kashmir. He also brought significant changes and reforms in 15 corps of the Indian Army; Making it more effective.

Wiki/Biography

Baggavalli Somasekhara Raju was born on Saturday, 19 October 1963 (age 58 years; as in 2021) in Baggavalli village, Ajjampura, Chikmagalur district, Karnataka, India. He wanted to join the Indian Army from a very young age. After passing the All India Level Entrance Examination; BS Raju attended the prestigious Sainik School in Bijapur, Karnataka. After completing his schooling in 1979, he appeared for the National Defense Academy entrance examination. He joined NDA in December 1980. After completing my training in NDA; He joined the Indian Military Academy in 1983, where he trained for a year. He was commissioned into the Indian Army on 15 December 1984.

Physical Appearance

Height (Approx): 5′ 9″

Hair Color: Gray

Eye colour: Light brown

Family

Baggavalli Somasekhara Raju belongs to a Kannada family.

Guardian

His father’s name is Somasekharappa Raju, who was a lecturer by profession. His mother’s name is Vimala Raju.

wife and children

His wife’s name is Shakuntala Raju. One of his sons works as a computer engineer in the United States. He completed his graduation from the National University of Singapore. He also has a daughter, who is an engineer.

livelihood

Beginning of a brilliant career in Jat Regiment

BS Raju was appointed to the 11th battalion of the Jat Regiment. While serving in the unit, he held several important, battalion-based appointments, such as company commander, adjutant and second in command. While serving in the Jat Regiment, BS Raju qualified for helicopter pilot training and after completing his training, he became a qualified helicopter pilot. He also served in the United Nations Mission in Somalia, where he flew numerous aerial reconnaissance and patrol missions. In Somalia, BS Raju served with the Indian Army Aviation Corps. After being promoted to the rank of Major, BS Raju was appointed to the post of Brigade Major, which is a very important post. From 2001 to 2002, BS Raju also took part in Operation Parakram. In 2006, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and began commanding the 15th battalion of the Jat Regiment.

Held important positions in the Indian Army

On completion of his command of 15 Jat, BS Raju was posted as an instructor at the Defense Services Staff College. He was also sent as an instructor at the Army War College in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. BS Raju, as a Colonel, was posted as Military Secretary (Legal) at the Army Headquarters in Delhi.

climbing the promotion ladder

On 13 June 2011, BS Raju was promoted to the rank of Brigadier. After promotion BS Raju was sent as the Brigade Commander of Uri Brigade. After completing his tenure as a Brigade Commander, in 2014, he was posted as the Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of the Kashmir-based White Knight Corps of the Indian Army. He became a Major General on 27 March 2017. On receiving promotion, BS Raju was appointed as Deputy Director General of Military Operations (DDGMO). He was later sent to Army Headquarters in Delhi as Director General Staff Duties (DGSD). He was then sent as the Commandant of the Indian Military Training Corps in Bhutan, where he directed the training of soldiers of the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) and the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan (RBG). BS Raju was performing his duties with excellence, as a result of which, he was appointed the Force Commander of Victor Force, the elite counter-insurgency force of the Indian Army.

BS Raju as Victor Force Commander

In 2019, BS Raju was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and took command of 15 Corps of the Indian Army as Corps Commander. He held the post of Corps Commander from 1 March 2020 to 17 May 2021.

BS Raju takes over command of 15th Corps from Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon

Commendable work done by BS Raju in Kashmir Valley

When BS Raju was serving as the commander of Victor Force, Burhan Wani, who was the poster boy of the banned terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen, was killed by the Victor Force of the Indian Army. He also personally saw that the killers of Kashmiri Army officer Lieutenant Umar Faiyaz were brought to justice. It was due to the efforts of BS Raju that Majid Khan, a young and talented football player from Kashmir, was saved from the terrorists who were forcing him to become a terrorist.

Upon being appointed as the Commander of 15 Corps, BS Raju emphasized on building better mutual relations between the Indian Army and the Kashmiri local people. He also paid more attention to maintaining human values. In an interview BS Raju said,

The Army is the friend of every citizen and this message has been aptly conveyed by my predecessor. I will make every effort to continue this tradition.”

As a Corps Commander, BS Raju changed the traditional approach of locating terrorists and killing them on the spot, rather he adopted a more humane approach towards terrorists. Before initiating the encounter with the terrorists, he ordered the field commanders to give a chance to the trapped terrorists to surrender. He also wanted comprehensive provision of rehabilitation and resettlement facilities for surrendered militants. In an interview BS Raju said,

The armed forces do not want to kill the militants and every militant is given an opportunity to surrender. As I said, every loss of life is unfortunate. We don’t even want to kill the militants, we give them a chance to surrender. Terrorists attacking populated areas look for civilian casualties because that is the focus. Civilian deaths provide fodder for propaganda machines. Security forces should exercise restraint. Even the militants we always give the option to surrender.

The new humanitarian approach adopted by him yielded meaningful results. There was a sharp decline in the total number of locals joining banned terrorist organizations and a significant increase in surrenders of militants. BS Raju believed in directly connecting and addressing the youth of Kashmir. BS Raju called the youth the “generation of anger”. While giving an interview he said,

My main message to the youth is that you can come back and we will take care of you. Seventeen of those who went astray in the last six months have returned and we will take care of them. My appeal to the youth who have gone astray is to come back. They can come back at any time, including during operation. They can call anyone, their parents, our helpline and we will make arrangements for their return.”

To increase the accountability of the Indian Army, BS Raju established a feedback and complaint helpline number through which local Kashmiris could directly connect with the 15 Corps Commander. He also started a program, “A Day with Company Commanders.” In this program the military personnel can meet the local people and establish friendly relations with them. The move was aimed at increasing the level of trust between the armed forces and the Kashmiri local population. Under the command of BS Raju, the 15th Corps of the Indian Army started another program called “Khairiyat Patrol”. Under this programme, the Indian Army will meet the local people living in remote areas and help them with any work in which they need help. This was given greater emphasis during the Covid-19 pandemic. 15 Corps also organized several sports and cultural events in Kashmir. Programs were organized to improve relations between local people of different areas. The Indian Army, under the aegis of Operation Sadbhavana, runs a chain of schools named Army Goodwill Schools. When BS Raju took over as Corps Commander, he introduced the digital format of learning. He also emphasized on changing and improving the teaching methods. Due to the innovative suggestions of BS Raju; The performance of students improved manifold, especially those studying in classes 10th and 12th.

Lieutenant General BS Raju with Kashmiri school students

Functioning as Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) and his appointment as Deputy Chief of Army Staff

BS Raju was made the Director General of Military Operations in 2021. He was in charge of maintaining the operational preparedness of the Indian Army along the Line of Actual Control; During the India-China military standoff. During his tenure as DGMO, both India and Pakistan agreed to adhere to the norms listed in the 2003 ceasefire agreement. In an interview BS Raju said,

Adhering to the ceasefire is in the best interest of both India and Pakistan and it is the need of the hour and I want this ceasefire to work. The local people living on the border will get a chance to live their normal lives, which was disrupted due to several ceasefire violations in the past.

On 1 May 2022, Lieutenant General BS Raju took over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, thus becoming the second most senior officer in the Indian Army. He takes over from General Manoj Pandey, who takes over as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS). On 1 March 2023, he was relieved from the post by Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar.

General MM Naravane #COAS and all ranks #Indian Army Congratulations to Lieutenant General BS Raju on being appointed Deputy Chief of Army Staff #VCOAS Of #Indian Army, Will take over the appointment of Lieutenant General BS Raju #VCOAS On 01 May 2022.#Indian Army#InStrideWithTheFuture pic.twitter.com/kM6q6n3g67

– ADG PI – Indian Army (@adgpi) 29 April 2022

On 1 March 2023, BS Raju replaced Lieutenant General Amardeep Singh Bhinder as the commander of the Jaipur-based South-Western Command of the Indian Army.

Awards, Honors, Achievements

• On 22 November 2022, Lieutenant General BS Raju was awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal by the President of India.
  

  Lieutenant General BS Raju awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal by the President of India

Facts/General Knowledge

• BS Raju pays a lot of attention to education. In his hometown, he supports the students who are studying in government school and doing well. In an interview the Chairman of Baggavalli Gram Panchayat said,

  There is an atmosphere of celebration in the village after his appointment. Every year, Lieutenant General Raju honors and supports the meritorious students of the village and gives them uniforms, shoes and other educational needs. We are very happy with his promotion.”

• BS Raju’s stand on Pakistan has always been strict and clear. In an interview he said,

  We are always ready to give them a befitting reply and we will always defeat their (Pakistan’s) dangerous and nefarious designs.”

• During his tenure as Corps Commander, European representatives visited Jammu and Kashmir under the United Nations Charter.
  

  European representative in Kashmir with 15 Corps Commander Lieutenant General BS Raju

• On 8 April 2022, BS Raju launched Tiger of Dras, a book based on the bravery stories of Captain Anuj Nayyar, Mahavir Chakra.
  

  Lieutenant General BS Raju during the launch program of the book Tiger of Dras.

• BS Raju will be made the Army Commander in the coming months, as he still has 19 months of service left. He will become the second Vice Chief of Army Staff in the history of the Indian Army to be made the Army Commander after assuming the post of Vice Chief.

• Lieutenant General BS Raju has been deployed in Kashmir Valley more than 5 times during his military service.

• The programs started by BS Raju have proved to be a huge success in Kashmir. As a result, various divisions and corps of the Indian Army deployed in Kashmir have also adopted the policies and programmes.

Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn