Central Command (India)
Indian Army regional command
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The Central Command of the Indian Army is one of the seven operational commands of the army. It is based at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
| Central Command | |
|---|---|
Insignia of the Central Command | |
| Active | 1942–1946 1 May 1963[1] – Present |
| Country |  India |
| Branch |  Indian Army |
| Type | Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, PVSM UYSM AVSM YSM |
| Notable commanders | |
| Insignia | |
| Flag |  |
The current Central Army Commander is Lieutenant General Anindya Sengupta.[2]
History
Second World War
Central Command was first established in 1942 during World War II and then disbanded in 1946.[3] Southern Command was responsible for most of the training activities for Indian Army until Central Command was formed in April 1942 which took over the responsibility of some of the training areas.[4]
Post 1962 Indo-China war
With its HQ at Lucknow the Command was re-established on 1 May 1963 due to the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Lt Gen K Bahadur Singh was the first Army Commander of the new Central Command. Prior to that date Lucknow had been the headquarters of the Eastern Command.[5][6]
Humanitarian assistance and flood relief operations
Central Command undertook humanitarian and Flood Relief Operations at various locations during flash floods including Delhi[7] and Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh).[8]
Structure
Central Command's Area Of Responsibility (AOR) covers eight states of India: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.[9] 18 Regimental Centres and a large number of logistic and training establishments come under Central Command. The responsibility for the central sector of the Western border with Pakistan also lies with Central Command.[10] Almost half of the 62 cantonments in India lie within the Central Command's theatre.[11]
In February 2024, reports emerged for the formation of a new Corps under the Central Command for deployment along Line of Actual Control (LAC).[12] The XVIII Corps will consist of at least one division (with around 15,000 to 18,000 combat soldiers each) and three independent brigades. This includes 14 RAPID Division, 9 Mountain Brigade, 136 Mountain Brigade and 119 Mountain Brigade. This move will convert HQ Uttar Bharat from a Static Formation into 'Full-fledged Combat Arm'.[13][14]
There are two Static Area Formations:– Uttar Bharat Area and Madhya Bharat Area. Central Command earlier used to act as a strategic reserve but now it is looking after Uttarakhand sector of Indo-Tibet and Indo-Nepal border.[15][16]
| Structure of Central Command | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insignia | Corps/Area | Corps/Area HQ | General Officer Commanding | Assigned Units | Unit HQ |
 |
Uttar Bharat Area | Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh | Lt Gen Divya Gaurav Misra[17] | ||
 |
Madhya Bharat Area | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh | Lt Gen Harbinder Singh Vandra[18] | ||
| 14 RAPID Division | Dehradun, Uttarakhand | ||||
| 50 (Independent) Parachute Brigade | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | ||||
| 9 (Independent) Mountain Brigade | Joshimath, Uttarakhand | ||||
| 136 (Independent) Mountain Brigade | Poo, Himachal Pradesh | ||||
| 119 (Independent) Mountain Brigade | Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand | ||||
Precursors
Following is the list of precursors to the Western Command and their commanders:[3]
Central Command (1942–1946)
| General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S.No | Name | Assumed office | Left office | Unit of Commission | References |
| 1 | Lieutenant General Henry B. D. Willcox CB, DSO, MC | May 1942 | December 1944 | Sherwood Foresters | |
| 2 | General Sir Geoffry A. P. Scoones KBE, CB, CSI, DSO, MC | December 1944 | December 1946 | 2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles) | |