Last Updated on 18/07/2024 by wccexam Desk
Sachin Malik, son of former Indian Army chief General VP Malik, heads the division he commanded.
kargil war, Major General Sachin Malik, son of former Army Chief General VP Malik who led the army to victory in the 1999 Kargil war, is now commanding the same 8-Mountain Division that led the Indian response against Pakistan. When asked, General VP Malik, who was on his way to Drass on Tuesday to participate in events organised by the Army to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Kargil war, said he cannot comment on it as his son is a uniformed soldier.
However, he said that it is definitely a matter of pride for the family that he is commanding the army that played a major role during the Kargil war. Interestingly, General VP Malik also led 8-Mountain in 1989, which is commonly referred to as ‘Forever in Operations’. Major General Sachin Malik took over as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 8-Mountain Division in February 2023 from Major General Nagendra Singh as the 42nd GOC of the division.
The headquarters of 8-Mountain Division is located at Khumbathang, Ladakh
The division is headquartered at Khumbathang in the Union Territory of Ladakh and is tasked with looking after the Line of Control. The division is currently part of the Army’s XIV Corps, which is based in Leh. Earlier, the 8-Mountain Division was based in the north-eastern sector and interestingly, it was moved to Kashmir in the late 80s by the General, then Major General, VP Malik.
During the Kargil war, the entire military operation was spearheaded by the 25-strong 8-Mountain Division which launched deadly attacks on the enemy to recapture the area. Three highest gallantry awards for wartime, the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and eight second highest gallantry awards for wartime, the Mahavir Chakra (MVC) were awarded to soldiers who were fighting under the command of the 8-Mountain Division.
Major General Sachin Malik was appointed in the Sikh Light Infantry
Both Gen Malik and his son Major General Sachin were commissioned into the same regiment, the Sikh Light Infantry (Sikh LI). Gen VP Malik’s wife Ranjana Malik has also served in the Army as a doctor. She was commissioned as a Captain and on completion of five years of service, she joined ONGC, from where she took premature retirement on completion of 20 years of service. Dr Ranjana Malik is an alumnus of Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi. Gen Malik’s daughter Namita did her MBA in the US after pursuing engineering in India and now works there.