XII Corps (India) explained

Unit Name:XII Corps
Dates:1987–Present
Country:India
Branch:Indian Army
Role:Holding Corps
Size:Corps
Command Structure: Southern Command
Garrison:Jodhpur
Current Commander:Lieutenant General Mohit Malhotra
Notable Commanders:Lt Gen A K Chatterjee
Lt Gen Philip Campose
Lt Gen Man Mohan Singh Rai
Nickname:Konark Corps (Desert Corps)

The XII Corps, or the Konark Corps/Desert Corps, is a corps of the Indian Army and one of the two corps of the Pune-based Southern Command.

Formation

With two combat divisions on the order of battle of Southern Command and increasing operational importance of the desert sector, by January 1987, a Corps Headquarters was sanctioned. HQ 12 Corps was raised at Jodhpur during the volatile days of Operation Trident.[1] The corps, which came into existence on the auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri on February 26, 1987 is charged with protection of the desert sectors of the country falling in Rajasthan and Gujarat states and was raised under Lieutenant General A K Chatterjee as the first General Officer Commanding (GOC). Also referred to as Desert Corps within the army, the corps adopted Konark as its formation insignia after the Konark Sun Temple of Puri as a symbolic representation of the radiation of the sun in eight cardinal directions, thereby establishing a spiritual link with the Sun City - Jodhpur.[2]

Composition

XII corps currently consists of:

Humanitarian assistance

The corps has been intimately involved in providing succor to citizens of India in times of natural calamities such as earthquakes and floods most noteworthy being Bhuj earthquake, floods in Rajasthan and Gujarat.[6]

List of General Officer Commanding

RankNameAppointment DateLeft OfficeUnit of CommissionReferences
Lieutenant GeneralAK ChatterjeeFebruary 1987February 1988Sikh Light Infantry
R NarasimhanApril 1988May 1990Jat Regiment
YN Sharma May 1990February 1992The Grenadiers
Moti DarMarch 1992December 199217th Horse (Poona Horse)
HM KhannaJanuary 1994August 1996Gorkha Rifles
PS JoshiSeptember 1996January 19998th Gorkha Rifles
MA GurbaxaniJanuary 1999March 2001Rajput Regiment
Hari PrasadMarch 2001August 2002Maratha Light Infantry
Ram SubramanyamAugust 2002December 2003Corps of Engineers
KS JamwalDecember 2003April 2005Regiment of Artillery[7]
PR GangadharanApril 2006September 2006Maratha Light Infantry[8]
SPS DhillonSeptember 2006January 2008Regiment of Artillery[9]
SN HandaJanuary 2008December 20083rd Gorkha Rifles[10]
AM VermaDecember 2008February 2010Rajput Regiment[11]
Narendra SinghFebruary 2010June 2011Maratha Light Infantry[12]
Philip Campose3 July 2011August 2012Mechanised Infantry Regiment[13]
Man Mohan Singh RaiAugust 2012August 2013Bombay Sappers[14]
GS KatochAugust 20131 September 2014Jammu and Kashmir Rifles[15]
Bobby Mathews1 September 201410 October 2015Kumaon Regiment[16]
VP SinghOctober 2015November 2016Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry[17]
Podali Shankar RajeshwarNovember 2016November 2017Regiment of Artillery[18]
Rajni Kant JaggaNovember 2017November 20181st Horse (Skinner's Horse)[19]
VS Sreenivas19 November 201810 February 2020The Garhwal Rifles[20]
Anil Puri11 February 202013 February 2021Corps of Engineers[21]
PS Minhas14 February 202106 March 2022Central India Horse[22]
Rakesh Kapoor07 March 202208 June 2023Armoured Corps[23] [24]
Mohit Malhotra09 June 2023IncumbentArmoured Corps[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 12 Corps / XII Corps.
  2. Web site: Desert Corps of Army celebrates Raising Day. 2018-02-27. 2021-03-22.
  3. Web site: Army exposition 'Armed Forces for masses' by Bald Eagle Brigade at Bhuj, Gujarat. 2015-08-14. 2021-10-03.
  4. News: Indian Army conducts fire power display at Pokhran, showcases proficiency and preparedness. The Economic Times. 2015-03-22. 2021-10-02.
  5. Web site: Army and navy plan to set up a marine brigade. 2010-06-09. 2021-03-22.
  6. Web site: KONARK CORPS. 2021-03-22.
  7. Web site: Lt Gen Kapoor to be new VCOAS; Panag, Jamwal to head N, E Cmds. 2006-12-26. 2022-03-09.
  8. Web site: Lieutenant General PR Ganagadharan to take over as new Military Secretary. 2006-09-29. 2022-03-09.
  9. Web site: Book on Customs & Etiquettes in the Services Released. 2007-09-03. 2022-03-09.
  10. Web site: Defence Minister in Forward Areas. 2008-03-01. 2022-03-09.
  11. Web site: Appointments. 2009-02-01. 2022-03-09.
  12. Web site: Lt Gen Campose is 12 Corps Commander. 2011-03-06. 2022-03-09.
  13. Web site: Lt Gen Campose new General Officer Commanding of Konark Corps. The Times of India. 2011-05-11. 2022-03-09.
  14. Web site: Lt Gen MMS Rai takes over as GOC Desert Corps. 2012-08-09. 2022-03-09.
  15. Web site: Joint Forces Expedition Augmenting Synergy. 2014-04-01. 2022-03-09.
  16. Web site: LT GEN BOBBY MATHEWS, AVSM**, VSM. 2022-03-09.
  17. Web site: Konark Corps held Ex-Servicemen Rally at Setrawa (Shergarh) today. GOC of Corps, Lt Gen VP Singh was Chief Guest. 2016-09-10. 2022-03-09.
  18. Web site: Insight to Winds of Change In 12 Corps Dental Unit. 2017-03-01. 2022-03-09.
  19. Web site: Gandhinagar: Army organises special health camp for veterans. The Times of India. 2018-01-28. 2022-03-09.
  20. Web site: ले. जनरल श्रीनिवास कोणार्क कोर के नए कोर कमांडर. 2018-11-20. Dainik Bhaskar. hi. 2019-09-21.
  21. Web site: Lt Gen Anil Puri took over the command of #KonarkCorps #SouthernCommand #IndianArmy today. He took over the reins of Konark Corps from Lt Gen VS Sreenivas. @SpokespersonMoD @adgpi @PIBJaipur @PIB_Indiapic.twitter.com/qKQmynThi5. MoD. PRO Jaipur. 2020-02-11. @PRODefRjsthn. en. 2020-02-28.
  22. Web site: Major reshuffle in Army, Lt Gen Shantanu Dayal to take charge as Deputy Chief of Staff. 2021-01-01.
  23. Web site: kapoor . rakesh . Lt gen rakesh kapoor takes over 12 corps .
  24. Web site: Lt Gen Rakesh Kapoor took over as the General Officer Commanding of Desert Corps. 2022-03-07. 2022-03-09.
  25. Web site: Lt Gen Mohit Malhotra took over as General Officer Commanding of Desert Corps.. 2023-06-09. 2023-06-09.