Odisha has a reason to rejoice as a son of the soil is tipped to become the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army. As per media reports, Jagatsinghpur-born Chandi Prasad Mohanty is likely to be appointed the 42nd Vice-Chief of the Indian Army.
Mohanty would be the first Odia officer to be appointed as the Vice-Chief, the second highest appointment in the Indian Army after the Chief of Army Staff. He would replace Lt Gen SK Saini, who is retiring on January 31.
Currently, Mohanty is working as the General Officer Commanding in-Chief of the Southern Command. He studied up to Class-VI at the Bagashai UP School and then went to the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun. He completed his military training in National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He is a 1982-batch Infantry Officer of the Rajput Regiment. He is the eldest son of JK Mohanty and late Dr Sarada Kumari Mohanty of Jayabada in Jagatsinghpur town. Dr Sarada Kumari was the first lady PhD in Odia Literature and JK Mohanty has retired as the District Sub-Registrar of Puri.
One of his brothers, KP Mohanty, is working as General Manager in the Indian Oil Corporation in Panipat and the other, DP Mohanty, is an advocate.