16 Bihar Regiment, At Forefront Of Galwan Faceoff, Gets New Chief

The Indian Army’s 16 Bihar regiment, which was at the front during the brutal Galwan Valley clash on June 15, has a new Commanding Officer.

- Shiv Aroor

Twelve men from the unit, including then Commanding Officer Colonel B Santosh Babu, were killed in action two weeks ago in an incident that has become the centrepiece of the ongoing IndiaChina stand-off in Ladakh.

India Today can confirm that 16 Bihar’s new Commanding Officer has ‘taken strength’, military parlance for assuming office. The officer, who had been cleared for a promotion to the Colonel rank at the time of the incident, was supposed to take over command of a different battalion. After the events of June 15, the Army decided that command of the 16 Bihar must pass to an officer from the unit.