GeneralVijay Kumar SinghPVSM,AVSM,YSM,ADC (born 10 May 1951)[a] is the 16th current governor ofMizoram since 2025,[6] a former member of Parliament, and a formerfour-star general in theIndian Army.[b] He is former minister of state in theMinistry of Road Transport and Highways andministry of civil aviation in theSecond Modi ministry.[8] He previously served asMinister of State for External Affairs,Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of the North-Eastern Region andMinister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation[c] in theFirst Modi ministry.
During his military career, Singh served as the 24th[d][10]chief of the Army Staff (COAS) from 2010 to 2012.[11] Singh took theGovernment of India to court in a dispute over his date of birth and subsequent retirement, becoming the first serving Indian Chief of the Army Staff to take legal action against the Indian government.[12]
After his retirement from the military, Singh joined theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 and was elected asMember of Parliament to theLok Sabha for theGhaziabad constituency ofUttar Pradesh inthat year's general election. He was re-elected to the same seat in2019.
Singh has written an autobiography calledCourage and Conviction.[e]
Singh was born on 10 May 1950 in aRajput Family toCaptain (laterColonel) Jagat Singh, an officer then serving in the 14th battalion theRajput Regiment of the Indian Army,[f] and Krishna Kumari, at the Military Hospital atPune.[14][15] He was born into theTomar(tanwar) clan of Rajputs,[16][17][g] with roots in theBapora village in theBhiwani district ofHaryana. His paternal grandfather,Daffadar Mukhram Singh, served with the3rd Cavalry. All five brothers of his father served in the Army, either joining the1st Horse (Skinner's Horse) or the 7th Rajput Regiment.[19] His maternal grandfather,Subedar Shimbu Singh, also served in the Army and hailed from the Bohra Kalan village in theGurgaon district.[15] His village had been founded by theRajput rulers and frequently involved in fighting with theMughal and has produced many warriors. He was inspired by men who served the Army from theBritish times.[20]
Singh's mother was diagnosed withterminal cancer and died in 1952. He was raised by his maternal grandparents before his father remarried and he went to live with them for a few years. At the age of 8, he enrolled at theBirla Public School, aboarding school inPilani,Rajasthan. He joined theNational Cadet Corps during his schooling and served in all three wings.[21]
He qualified in the entrance exam and having filled 'Air Force' as his first choice, he appeared before the No. 1 Air Force Selection Board inDehradun. He entered theNational Defence Academy (NDA) in 1966.[22] A part of the 'HUNTER' squadron, he held a number of cadet appointments at the NDA. He became a Corporal in his fifth term, the battalion cadet captain (BCC) in his sixth term, and officiated as the Academy Cadet Captain (ACC) for a short while. In his fifth term, on the request of his father, he was moved from the Air Force to Army.[23]
After graduating from the NDA, he entered theIndian Military Academy (IMA) in June 1969. He was assigned to 'Cassino' Company at the academy. He was appointed senior under officer (SUO) in his fourth term. Hepassed out from the IMA in 1970, placed in the top ten in the merit list.[24]
Singh’s career in military lasted 42 years from the year 1970 to 2012. He started his career when he was commissioned in the 2nd Battalion ofRajput Regiment after graduating fromIndian Military Academy and retired after serving as thechief of Army Staff . He has been a part of many wars and recipient of many Army honours.[25]
Singh was commissioned into the 2nd Battalion of theRajput Regiment (Kali Chindi) on 14 June 1970. The battalion was among the oldest in the Indian Army, having been raised in 1798 as 1/16Bengal Native Infantry.[2][26] He joined the battalion inDelhi, where it was garrisoned in theRed Fort and theRashtrapathi Bhavan. He was slotted into 'C' company of the battalion.[27] He attended the Young Officers (YOs) course at the Infantry School inMhow in November 1970. He completed the course and joined his battalion in early 1971 inTamulpur inAssam where the battalion had moved.[28] Before the outbreak of theIndo-Pakistani War of 1971, he was appointed Intelligence Officer (IO) of the battalion. The battalion moved toMeghalaya in mid-1971 and fought the war, enteringEast Pakistan from the east. Singh served as the IO through the war. He was at that time a junior Officer in the1971 Bangladesh Liberation war and he was atAssam at that time. He was a witness of1971 Bangladesh genocide byPakistan Army officers and enlisted soldiers, and described the treatment of the people ofBangladesh by the Pakistan Army as akin toNazism.[29] He commented:[30]
"The world has forgotten the atrocities committed in Bangladesh. I do not think the people of Bangladesh of that period have forgotten, but the coming generations, probably have found it easier to put it somewhere in the corner"
— Singh, Indian Army Records
He was very much inspired bySam Manekshaw and was a follower of his ideology and learnt leadership from him, after he met him after theWar of India and Pakistan in 1971.[31] After the war, the battalion went toBhutan on a training exercise with theRoyal Bhutan Army. In 1973, he was nominated to attend the battalion support weapons course at Mhow. After finishing the course and returning to the battalion, in early 1974, he was again sent to attend the winter warfare course atGulmarg. In mid-1974, he was posted to the Infantry School as an instructor in the platoon weapons division.[32][33]
In late 1975, Singh was one of two officers selected to attend theUnited States ArmyRanger School atFort Benning,Georgia in theUnited States. The Ranger course is 62 days long and is aimed at small unit tactics and leadership. During this course, he was assigned to Whisky company of the75th Ranger Regiment. He performed well in the physically-extracting course, which started with over 300 students and ended with only about 90 graduating. He was graded an honours graduate since he had graded more than 80%.[34] Since he was a graduate of the Ranger School, he was permitted to wear the covetedRanger tab on his uniform.[35]
After completing the course, he returned to India and was posted to the Commando School atBelgaum.[32] After a year at the school, he moved back to his battalion inSecunderabad but was immediately selected to attend the Junior Command course at the College of Combat in Mhow. He finished the course and joined his battalion and was given command of acompany. Two months later, he was selected to attend the winter warfare advanced course at theHigh Altitude Warfare School at Gulmarg.[36]
In April 1978, Singh came back to his battalion which was to move toPoonch for its operational tenure along theLine of Control. He commanded the 'A' company of the battalion during this tenure. Later that year, he was posted to theIndian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan. He served as an instructor at IMTRAT for about two years. After his return from Bhutan, he was transferred to a new unit, the 25th battalion of the Rajput Regiment (25 Rajput) atFatehgarh. He was given command of the Delta company of the battalion.[36]
The battalion then moved toAlwar where Singh served as a company commander. In March 1982, he was selected to attend theDefence Services Staff College,Wellington, having secured a competitive vacancy.[37] After completing the year-long course, he was posted as General Staff Officer 2 (GSO-2) in the Military Operations (MO) Directorate at Army headquarters. His tenure at the MO directorate was an eventful one. He had a ring-side view duringOperation Meghdoot in early 1984,Operation Blue Star later that year,Operation Brasstacks in late 1986 and the1987 Sino-Indian skirmish in theSumdorong Chu Valley.[36]
In mid-1987, he joined his battalion as a company commander. In July, as part of the 76 Infantry Brigade, the battalion moved toChennai and embarked forSri Lanka on theTank Landing ShipINS Magar (L20). Inducted as part of theIndian Peace Keeping Force, they landed atTrincomalee. He spent the next two years in Sri Lanka fighting theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In mid-1988, he was promoted to the rank ofLieutenant Colonel and was appointedsecond-in-command of the battalion.[36] On 26 January 1990, he was awarded theYudh Seva Medal for leading an operation which eliminated 6 LTTE men.[38]
In late 1989, Singh was approved to be promoted to the rank ofColonel and cleared to command a battalion. In early 1990, the battalion embarked forMumbai. Shortly thereafter, Singh was appointed Chief Instructor of the Commando School at Belgaum, where he had earlier served as an instructor.[39][40] He was earmarked by thecolonel of the regiment to take over command of 24 Rajput, but Singh was determined to get back to his old battalion (2 Rajput) or take over the battalion he served with in Sri Lanka (25 Rajput). After a few months, he was appointedCommanding Officer of 2 Rajput.[36] The battalion was inNowshera, Jammu and Kashmir along the Line of Control. It was a part of the 80 Brigade under the25th Infantry Division. He commanded the battalion for about two years in Nowshera, before taking the unit to its peace location inFaizabad. The tenure started off in a tense environment - theDemolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, when the battalion was on the move to Faizabad.[36]
Singh also made a cameo appearance in the 1991 Hindi filmPrahaar: The Final Attack, starringNana Patekar,Madhuri Dixit andDimple Kapadia.[39]
In June 1994, Singh was selected to attend the Higher Command Course at theArmy War College, Mhow. After the ten-month course, he was appointed Colonel General Staff (Col GS) of the12th Infantry Division atJodhpur. He spent close to three years in this appointment under two division commanders.[36] In 1998, he was promoted actingBrigadier and appointed Commander of the 168 Infantry Brigade inSamba, Jammu and Kashmir.[32][41] As Brigade commander, he had four infantry battalions and twoBorder Security Force units under his command. A year into his command, theKargil War broke out and all units were on high alert. He was in command of the brigade till mid-2000.[36]
In June 2000, Singh was selected to attend theUnited States Army War College inCarlisle, Pennsylvania, in theUnited States.[42] He performed well at the War College and was graded 'exceptional' in the course. After the course, he returned to India and was appointed Brigadier General Staff (BGS) ofJalandhar basedXI Corps. He served in this appointment duringOperation Parakram when Indian troops were mobilised on the border in the wake of the2001 Indian Parliament attack.[43]
Singh was promoted to the rank ofmajor general and appointedGeneral Officer Commanding (GOC) Victor Force - a division-sized formation in theRashtriya Rifles in Jammu and Kashmir. The Victor Force is responsible for the districts ofAnantnag,Pulwama,Shopian,Kulgam andBudgam. For his distinguished service as GOC Victor Force, he was awarded theAti Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2003.[43] After a one-and-a-half tenure, he took over as the Chief of Staff (COS) of theXV Corps.[44] As the COS and the officiating Corps Commander, he was involved in the relief operations in the aftermath of the devastating2005 Kashmir earthquake, thedeadliest earthquake to hitSouth Asia since the1935 Quetta earthquake.[45]
On 15 April 2006, Singh was promoted to the rank oflieutenant general and shortly thereafter appointed General Officer CommandingII Corps atAmbala. He was at the helm of the Strike Corps for about two years. On 25 February 2008, he was promoted to Army Commander grade and appointedGeneral Officer Commanding-in-ChiefEastern Command.[46] For distinguished service of the highest order, he was awarded theParam Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2009.[43][47]
Singh became the 24th chief of Army Staff on 31 March 2010, and was the first commando to achieve that position.[7] Towards the end of his career, a dispute regarding his date of birth arose; Singh took the Government of India to court and become the first serving officer of the Indian Army to do so.[48] Because of an error made in 1965 when he enrolled with the National Defence Academy, official records misstated the year in which he was born. Singh withdrew the writ in February 2012 when, according toThe Hindu, theSupreme Court of India "refused to intervene". The Court noted there was no dispute regarding his actual date of birth and that the matter being contested was the way in which it had been recorded. It ruled Singh had on three occasions accepted the misrecorded date.[49][h]
TheBBC noted in 2012 that defence experts considered a drive to modernise the Indian army had suffered from "a lack of planning and acrimony between the military and the defence ministry". This report followed an interview given by Singh in March 2012 that caused a political row. According to Singh, over a year earlier he had reported toA. K. Antony, the defence minister, that he had been offered a bribe ofUS$2.7 million if the army bought several hundred sub-standard vehicles. Antony issued a rebuttal to the interview, saying he had requested a written report from Singh regarding the incident and that this had never been submitted. Two days after the interview with Singh, a correspondence between V.K. Singh and thePrime MinisterManmohan Singh was leaked. The correspondence criticised the standard of India's defences and caused another political row.[50]
Singh retired as Chief of Army Staff on 31 May 2012. He was succeeded by GeneralBikram Singh.[51][i]
After his retirement from the military, Singh showed support for theanti-corruption movement.[52] He was seen on the stage in August 2012 atRamlila Maidan inNew Delhi, where the yoga instructorRamdev was fasting in protest of alleged black money and corruption. Singh was reported to have said, "It is shocking but true that over two lakh farmers have committed suicide since 1995. The problems of farmers will have to take the forefront in this movement as the government has turned a blind eye to their woes."[53] Around that time he also said the anti-corruption movement, whose principal figurehead wasAnna Hazare, to that of theBihar Movement that was led byJayaprakash Narayan in 1975. Singh said,
"When I evaluate the country's present condition, it is similar to that of 1975. Jayaprakash Narayan had then said 'Vacate the throne, common people are coming'. He felt then that corruption is the root of all problems ... the situation in the country is the same today."[54][j]
Singh and Ramdev led a demonstration on 23 December 2012 atJantar Mantar, New Delhi, on the2012 Delhi gang rape case.[56][57] Singh joined the BJP on 1 March 2014.[58] He won theGhaziabad (Lok Sabha constituency) seat in the 2014 Indian general election, defeatingRaj Babbar of theIndian National Congress by a margin of 567,260 votes.[59] He was re-elected in a landslide during the2019 Indian general election and did not contest2024 Indian general election .
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In May 2014, Singh was appointed Minister of State of External Affairs and Minister of state (independent charge) for North East Region in the NDA-led Indian government.[60] He was relieved of responsibility for the North East Region in November 2014, when Jitendra Singh replaced him.[61]
Singh is praised for leadingOperation Raahat, a rescue mission to evacuate Indian citizens and other foreign nationals fromYemen during 2015Yemeni Crisis.[62] Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015 said, “I believe this is the first time in the world that a government minister has stood on the battlefield like a soldier to do this work ... I salute General V. K. Singh.”[63] In May 2019, Singh became Minister of State forRoad Transport and Highways and served there till 11 June 2024.[64]
2019 General Election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | General Vijay Kumar Singh | 944,503 | 61.93 | +5.45 | |
| SP | Suresh Bansal | 4,43,003 | 29.06 | +21.09 | |
| INC | Dolly Sharma | 1,11,944 | 7.34 | −6.91 | |
| NOTA | None of the Above | 7,495 | 0.49 | +0.03 | |
| Majority | 5,01,500 | 32.90 | −9.36 | ||
| Turnout | 15,25,097 | 55.89 | −1.05 | ||
| BJPhold | Swing | -7.82 | |||
2014 General Election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | General Vijay Kumar Singh | 758,482 | 56.51 | +13.17 | |
| INC | Raj Babbar | 1,91,222 | 14.25 | −18.16 | |
| BSP | Mukul | 1,73,085 | 12.89 | −8.84 | |
| SP | Sudhan Kumar | 1,06,984 | 7.97 | N/A | |
| AAP | Shazia Ilmi Malik | 89,147 | 6.64 | N/A | |
| NOTA | None of the Above | 6,205 | 0.46 | N/A | |
| Majority | 5,67,260 | 42.26 | +31.33 | ||
| Turnout | 13,42,471 | 56.94 | +11.64 | ||
| BJPhold | Swing | +15.67 | |||
Singh was sworn in as theGovernor of Mizoram on 16th Jan, 2025. He is the 25th Governor of Mizoram.[67]
Singh is married to Bharti Singh. Bharti complained of an occurrence[when?] of blackmail and extortion by a man ofGurugram.[68] She and Singh have two daughters, Yogja Singh and Mrinali Singh. Yogja is married to Anirudh Singh who is the son of Lt. Gen. Ashok Singh.[69]
Aside from his career in defence and politics, his interests are sport,[specify] horse riding, and reading. He has written anautobiography,Courage and Conviction, covering his career and experience in theIndian Army.[70]
He has often been embroiled in controversy over his comments on social issues and topics of national importance. From a family with amilitary background, he is open in his expression ofnationalism.[71] He faced criticism over his battle to have the army's record of his date of birth rectified.[k] The dispute culminated in aSupreme Court case. Singh failed in his attempt to have the Army's anomalous record of two different birth dates amended to reflect the later date. The court ruled that theMinistry of Defence could act to enforce his retirement according to the earlier 1950 date, given that Singh had previously agreed to the Army's use of the 1950 date when granting him promotions and awards. The court did not dispute the fact that his actual date of birth was in 1951.[74][75]
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During his service as the COAS, Singh was appointed honoraryaide-de-camp to thepresident of India. He served as the colonel of theRajput Regiment and as the honorary colonel of theBrigade of Guards, by virtue of being the Army chief.[76] On 11 March 2011, he was inducted into the United States Army War College Class of 2001 graduatesInternational Fellows Hall of Fame. He is the 33rd International Fellow and the first officer from theIndian Armed Forces to be inducted.[77] He was inspired by the legacy ofSam Manekshaw in the1971 Indo Pak war when he was a junior officer in Army.[31]
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 14 June 1970[2] |
 | Lieutenant | Indian Army | 14 June 1972[78] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 14 June 1976[79] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 14 June 1983 |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 1 November 1991[80] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 1 February 1993[81] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 4 June 1999[82] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 29 June 2004[83] |
 | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 1 October 2006[84] |
 | General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 April 2010[85][86] |
The case arose from a difference in the records of the Military Secretary's Branch and the Adjutant General's (AG's) Branch of the army. The latter is the usual record-keeper. In Gen Singh's case, the ministry of defence decided that it will go by the Military Secretary's records – when common sense should have told it to do otherwise. In fact, the MoD has done so in at least one earlier case.
Singh served as the 24th Chief of the Army Staff from 2010 to 2012
VK Singh retired on 31 May 2012 after contributing for 42 years in the Army. He was the 24th Chief of the Army Staff in the Indian Army
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by J S Lidder | General Officer CommandingVictor Force 2004-2005 | Succeeded by Prakash Menon |
| Preceded by K D S Shekhawat | General Officer CommandingII Corps 2006-2008 | Succeeded by J P Singh |
| Preceded by | General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command 2008-2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief of Army Staff 2010-2012 | Succeeded by |
| Lok Sabha | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forGhaziabad 2014 – 2024 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways 2019 - 2024 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of State for External Affairs 2014-2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Development of North Eastern Region 26 May 2014 – 9 November 2014 Minister of State with Independent Charge | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation (Minister of State with Independent charge) 10 November 2014 – 5 July 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Mizoram 16 January 2025 - Present | Incumbent |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
