Major General Vijay Kumar Datta AVSM, SM, VSM, PPMG was the additional director general of the Territorial Army of the Indian Army.


Vijay Kumar Datta

Born1950
Allegiance India
Service/branchIndian Army
Years of service15 March 1970 – 1 May 2008
RankMajor general
Unit1 Gorkha Rifles (The Malaun Regiment)
Commands heldAdditional Director General (TA)
Offg Corps Commander (21 Corps)
Chief of Staff (21 Corps)
Division Commander (25 Inf Div)
DDG MO (Special Ops)
Brigade Commander (181 Mtn Bde)
Col Q Ops (Northern Command)
Group Commander (51 SAG)
AwardsAti Vishisht Seva Medal
Vishisht Seva Medal
Bar to Vishisht Seva Medal
Sena Medal (Gallantry)
Bar to Sena Medal (Gallantry)
President's Police Medal for Gallantry
Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card

Biography edit

Major General Datta started his career in uniform when he was commissioned in the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Gorkha Rifles in March 1970. He volunteered and served in the first counter-terrorist and counter-hijack unit of the country. A black belt in karate, he introduced this art in the army.

One of Datta's major accomplishments was the designing and introduction of the bullet-proof patka for the army and para-military forces. He also designed and conceptualised the bullet-proof jacket (kavach) which is being produced by DRDO.[clarification needed] The credit of designing the arms laser designator goes to him too. He was involved in the raising of the Special Protection Group and the National Security Guard.

He has commanded a mountain brigade in counterinsurgency operations under the Operation Rhino in Assam and an infantry division on the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in Operation Rakshak. He was also posted as the chief of staff of 21 Corps (offensive formation of the Indian Army). He also became additional director general of the Territorial Army before he retired the army on 1 May 2008.

References edit

  • "Feb 07 - Military Army" (PDF). Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2007.
  • "Maj Gen Datta: Most decorated army officer". Hindustan Times. Bhopal, India. 5 February 2007.
  • "The big threats". India Today. 29 October 2009.
  • "Jammu & Kashmir". The Tribune. Chandigarh, India. 31 January 2006.
  • S.P. Sharma (28 January 2006). "Infiltration bid foiled, 6 militants killed". The Tribune. Poonch, India.
  • "The BEST veredict". India Today. 19 February 2010.
  • "Laurels, And More Laurels". Sainik Samachar. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
  • "Crisis, Disasters and Terrorism: India's security response" (Event). Mumbai, India: Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. 3 August 2010.
  • "BEST Veredict". India Today. 6 December 2010.
  • "UP cops start training in anti-Maoist warfare". The Times of India. Varanasi, India. 13 September 2011.