Lieutenant General V Sreehari takes over as the new General Officer Commanding of Indian Army Dakshin Bharat Area
Chennai, July 31. Lieutenant General V Sreehari, AVSM, SC, SM, took over as the new General Officer Commanding, Dakshin Bharat Area in Chennai, with effect from August 1, 2025.
The Dakshin Bharat Area is the Indian Army formation covering peninsular India, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the two UTs of Puducherry and Lakshadweep.
The General Officer is the son of Late Petty Officer M Velayudhan Nair & Mrs Sulochana Nair of Naduvath(Vill), Wandoor, Malappuram, Kerala. He is an alumnus of Sainik School Amaravati Nagar, National Defence Academy Khadakvasla and the Indian Military Academy Dehradun. He was commissioned into the new raising 16 Sikh Light Infantry Battalion on 13 June 1987 and subsequently converted to the Para Regiment in Aug 1992.
The General officer has held various regimental, instructional, staff and command appointments. He has experience of serving in the Northern, Eastern and Southern parts of the Country as well as in a UN Mission abroad. He commanded a Para Special Forces Battalion in Operation Rakshak, Base Camp at Siachen Glacier, an Infantry Brigade in a Strike Corps and a Mountain Division in the North East. His instructional appointments include those of an instructor at the Junior Leaders Wing, Belgaum & Directing Staff & Senior Instructor at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. His staff appointments include that of a Staff Officer in the United Nations Organisation’s Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, General Staff Officer – 1 Military Training – 16 (Foreign Training). Colonel General Staff of a newly raised Mountain Division, Colonel Military Secretary – 1 at the Military Secretary’s Branch, Deputy Inspector General (Personnel) Headquarters Directorate General of Assam Rifles, Brigadier General Staff Defence Services Staff College Wellington, Major General (General Staff) Headquarters Eastern Command. Director General Recruiting & Director General Manpower Planning & Personnel Services at Integrated HQ of MoD (Army).
Important courses attended by the Officer are Counter Insurgency & Jungle Warfare Course, Defence Services Staff Course, Higher Defence Management Course and National Defence College. His civil qualifications include MSc Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University, Masters in Management Studies from Osmania University and an M Phil from Madras University.
The General Officer has been awarded with Shaurya Chakra in 1998 while serving with 31 Rashtriya Rifles (Commando), Sena Medal (Distinguished Services) in 2021 for command of his division and an Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 2023. He is also a recipient of the Chief of Integrated Staff Committee Commendation Card in 2009 and the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card in 2013.
His spouse, Mrs Uma Sreehari, is a homemaker. The couple is blessed with a daughter, Vedika Sreehari, who works in Puducherry.
