Lieutenant General Prabodh Chandra Bhardwaj, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, SC, VSM is a former General Officer of the Indian Army. He last served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, having assumed office on 1 October 2009 following the retirement of Lieutenant General Noble Thamburaj. He also served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Northern Command. He is one of the most decorated officers of the Indian Army, with a war-time gallantry award and a peace-time gallantry award to his name.
Career Lieutenant General PC Bhardwaj was commissioned into 1st battalion, Parachute Regiment on 14 June 1970. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Indian Military Academy, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and National Defence College.
A specialist in Special Operations, he was the first person from the Indian Army to undergo the rigorous Commando Divers Course at Naval Diving School. He excelled on the course, qualifying as an instructor. He has also attended the Special Forces Officers Course at Fort Bragg in the US and earned an instructor rating.
He commanded his battalion, 1 Para (Commando), in counter-insurgency operations along India's eastern border with China and Myanmar, and later commanded counter-insurgency Force Delta in Doda/Kishtwar. He commanded a mountain brigade in Nagaland and also the elite 50th Parachute Brigade. As a brigadier, he commanded an infantry brigade and was the deputy director general at the Directorate General of Military Operations, Army Headquarters. He was appointed as the Defence Attache at Embassy of India at Yangon in Myanmar from 1994 to 1997. As a Major General, he was the General Officer Commanding Delhi Area where he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service. Upon promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General, he commanded XIV Corps, responsible for the vast areas of Ladakh and the Siachen Glacier before assuming command of Northern Command on 1 March 2008. Upon being awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2009, he became the most decorated soldier in the Indian Army.
Post-military career Lt. Gen Bhardwaj is a board member of the Welham Boys' School and also on the governing council of the Raphael Ryder Cheshire International Centre, both in Dehradun.
Honours and decorations
Vir Chakra Citation As a Second Lieutenant, Bhardwaj was awarded the Vir Chakra for operations during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. His Vir Chakra citation reads as follows.
Shaurya Chakra Citation As a Colonel, Bhardwaj was also awarded the Shaurya Chakra for a rescue operation where tourists who were stranded in a cable car were rescued in a joint operation conducted by 1 Para (Commando) and the Indian Air Force. His Shaurya Chakra citation reads as follows:
Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Vir Chakra Shaurya Chakra Vishisht Seva Medal Wound MedalSamanya Seva MedalSpecial Service MedalPaschimi StarOperation Vijay StarSiachen Glacier MedalSangram MedalOperation Vijay MedalOperation Parakram MedalSainya Seva MedalHigh Altitude Service MedalVidesh Seva Medal50th Anniversary of Independence Medal25th Anniversary of Independence Medal30 Years Long Service Medal20 Years Long Service Medal9 Years Long Service Medal
Dates of rank Insignia Rank Component Date of rank Second Lieutenant Indian Army 14 June 1970 Lieutenant Indian Army 14 June 1972 Captain Indian Army 14 June 1976 Major Indian Army 14 June 1983 Lieutenant-Colonel Indian Army 1 November 1991 Colonel Indian Army 1 February 1993 Brigadier Indian Army 18 June 1999 Major General Indian Army 29 June 2004 Lieutenant-General Indian Army 30 January 2007 (seniority from 1 October 2006)
References