Chandigarh, Nov 11 – Lt. Gen. Shankar Ranjan Ghosh will take over as the general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-in-C) of the Indian army’s Western Command, a defence official said here Wednesday.

He will assume charge Dec 1, an army spokesman said. Ghosh will replace Lt. Gen. T.K. Sapru.

An alumni of the National Defence Academy at Khadakvasla, Ghosh was commissioned into the Indian Army Nov 14, 1971.

The Western Command, one of the most operational commands, looks after areas in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.