Bot at 11:28, 4 December 2022

2022-12-04T11:28:11Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian Army officer}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = [[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]]
|name = C B Ponnappa
|honorific_suffix = [[AVSM]], [[Vishisht Seva Medal|VSM]]
|image = Lieutenant General C Bansi Ponnappa.jpg
|image_size = 270px
|caption =
|birth_date =
|birth_place =
|death_date =
|death_place =
|allegiance = India United Nations
|branch = [[Indian Army]]
|serviceyears = 1985 - present
|rank = [[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]]
|unit = 2 [[Mahar Regiment]]
|commands = [[XI Corps (India)|XI Corps]] 28 Infantry Division [[North Kivu]] Brigade, [[United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|MONUSCO]] 104 Infantry Brigade [[Mahar Regiment|2 Mahar]]
|battles = [[M23 rebellion]]
|awards = [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]] [[Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|relations =
|laterwork =
}}
[[Lieutenant General (India)|Lieutenant General]] '''Channira Bansi Ponnappa''', [[AVSM]], [[Vishisht Seva Medal|VSM]] is a serving [[General Officer]] in the [[Indian Army]]. Currently, he is [[Adjutant-General (India)|Adjutant General]] of the Indian Army. He has earlier served as the commander of the [[XI Corps (India)|XI Corps]]. He also serves as the [[Colonel (India)#Colonel of the regiment|Colonel]] of the [[Mahar Regiment]]. As a [[UN Peacekeeping|UN peacekeeper]], he is known for his role as commander of the [[United Nations]]' [[MONUSCO]] forces in the [[North Kivu]] region of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] during the [[M23 rebellion]].

==Early life and education==
Ponnappa hails from the Nangala village near [[Bittangala]] in the [[Kodagu district]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Channira Bansi Ponnappa promoted as Lieutenant General |url=https://starofmysore.com/channira-bansi-ponnappa-promoted-as-lieutenant-general/ |website=Star of Mysore |date=2 December 2019}}</ref> He attended the [[St Joseph's Boys' High School, Bangalore]], a part of the batch of 1980. He then attended the [[St Joseph's College, Bangalore]] for a year before joining the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] in 1981. He graduated from the [[Indian Military Academy]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite web |title=SJBHS OBA |url=http://sjbhsoba.net/august18.html |website=sjbhsoba.net}}</ref>

==Military career==
Ponnappa was commissioned into the 2nd battalion, [[Mahar Regiment]] in June 1985. He commanded a [[Company (military unit)|company]], combating the [[Counter-insurgency|counter insurgency]] in [[Manipur]]. He attended the [[Defence Services Staff College]], [[Wellington Cantonment|Wellington]]. He subsequently served as the [[Brigade major|Brigade Major]] of an Independent Armoured Brigade. As a [[Colonel (India)|Colonel]], he later commanded his battalion in amphibious operations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Karnataka's Kodagu district becomes only place in India to have three Lieutenant Generals serving in Army |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2020/apr/05/karnatakas-kodagu-district-becomes-only-place-in-india-to-have-three-lieutenant-generals-serving-in-army-2126198.html |website=The New Indian Express}}</ref> He then served as the Colonel General Staff Operations (Col GS (Ops)) of an Infantry Division. Ponnappa also attended the [[College of Defence Management]] where he completed the Higher Defence Management Course.

Promoted to the rank of [[Brigadier]], he commanded the Shakti Vijay Brigade (104 Infantry Brigade) along the [[Line of Control]] (LOC) in [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] in 2012. As a representative of the [[Indian army|Indian Army]], he had flagged off an educational and motivational tour under ''Operation Sadhbhavana'' in Tangdhar area of north Kashmir's [[Kupwara]] district.<ref>{{cite news|title=Army flags off educational tour |url=http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012/Aug/25/army-flags-off-educational-tour-65.asp |access-date=9 September 2014 |work=25 August 2012 |agency=Greater Kashmir |publisher=Rashid Makhdoomi |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200043/http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012/Aug/25/army-flags-off-educational-tour-65.asp |archive-date=10 September 2014 }}</ref> Ponnappa also attended the prestigious [[National Defence College, India|National Defence College]], [[New Delhi]].

===UN Peacekeeping===
In 2012, Ponnappa was sent to [[Goma]] in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] as part of [[India and the United Nations|India's UN Peacekeeping Force]] deployment. He was appointed the Commander of [[MONUSCO]]'s [[North Kivu]] Brigade (NKB). During the [[M23 rebellion]] in North Kivu, the UN Peacekeepers secured the airport and maintained status quo while the security responsibilities of Goma was shared between the police deployment, the formed police of MONUSCO and the MONUSCO military.<ref>{{cite news|title=Congo: UN peacekeepers patrol conflict-hit Goma|url=http://news.bdtv.in/2012/12/congo-un-peacekeepers-patrol-conflict.html|access-date=9 September 2014|agency=BDTV|publisher=Beyond Dimensions Television|date=13 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=DR CONGO / GOMA PEACEKEEPERS|url=http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/unifeed/2012/12/dr-congo-goma-peacekeepers/|access-date=9 September 2014|agency=UNIFEED|publisher=MONUSCO (United Nations)|date=12 December 2012}}</ref>

Ponnappa served under Brazilian [[Lieutenant General]] [[Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz]] and his predecessor Indian Lieutenant General [[Chander Prakash]] as Force Commander in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/sga1407.doc.htm |title=Secretary-General Appoints Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz |publisher=United Nations |date= |access-date=4 September 2013}}</ref> In 2013, the [[Indian Army]] planned and implemented a water treatment plant at Otobora, a Congolese village in Walikale, D R Congo, with MONUSCO's approval. The facility was inaugurated by Brigadier C B Ponnappa on 4 October 2014.<ref>{{cite web|last1=IMQ in Indian Army|title=Indian Army Provides Treated Water to Congolese Village (October 7, 2013)|url=http://indianmilitaryquotes.com/indian-army-provides-treated-water-to-congolese-village/|website=Indian Military Quotes|access-date=9 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910195526/http://indianmilitaryquotes.com/indian-army-provides-treated-water-to-congolese-village/|archive-date=10 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Promoted to the rank of [[Major General]], Ponnappa took over command of the 28 Infantry Division in [[Gurez]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Service |first1=Tribune News |title=Bandipora-Gurez road reopened for traffic |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/j-k/bandipora-gurez-road-reopened-for-traffic-579647 |website=Tribuneindia News Service |language=en}}</ref> As a Lieutenant General, he was the Chief of Staff of the [[Northern Command (India)|Northern Command]]. He then assumed command of [[IX Corps (India)|IX Corps]] as GOC, relinquishing it on 10 February 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lt Gen CB Ponnappa relinquishes command of IX Corps|url=https://twitter.com/westerncomd_ia/status/1491744389894311939|access-date=2022-02-11|website=Twitter|language=en}}</ref>

==Awards and decorations==
Ponnappa was awarded the [[Awards and decorations of the Indian Armed Forces#Commendation Card|COAS Commendation Card]] in 1997 and the GOC-in-C Commendation Card in 2006. In 2017, he was awarded the [[Vishisht Seva Medal]] and in 2019, the [[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SJBHS OBA |url=http://sjbhsoba.net/august18.html |website=sjbhsoba.net}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=411 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced |url=https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=187777 |website=pib.gov.in}}</ref>

{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|
|[[File:Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg|105px]]
|
|-
|colspan="4"|[[File:IND Samanya Seva medal.svg|105px]] [[File:IND Special Service Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]] [[File:IND Operation Parakram medal.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND Videsh Seva Medal Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 50th Anniversary Independence medal.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon.svg|105px]]
|-
|[[File:IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg|105px]]
|[[File:United Nations Medal, Operation in Somalia ribbon.svg|104px]]
|[[File:MONUC Medal bar.gif|104px]]
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|colspan="2"|[[Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[Vishisht Seva Medal]]
|-
|colspan="1"|[[Samanya Seva Medal]]
|colspan="2"|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|Special Service Medal]]
|colspan="1"|[[Operation Parakram Medal]]
|-
|[[Sainya Seva Medal]]
|[[Videsh Seva Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|50th Anniversary of Independence Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|30 Years Long Service Medal]]
|-
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|20 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|9 Years Long Service Medal]]
|[[MONUSCO|UN Mission in DR Congo Medal]]
|[[United Nations Operation in Somalia I|UN Mission in Somalia Medal]]

|}

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="4">
Image:UN Security Concil visit to Goma (10225297006).jpg| MONUSCO NKB commander, Brigadier General C B Ponnappa, briefs members of UN Security Council as they visit the front line in Kibati near Goma from where the M23 rebels have been recently defeated, 6 October 2013
Image:FIB-Munigi-04 (9578949648).jpg|NKB commander, Brigadier General C B Ponnappa and FC Gen. Santos Cruz in the trenches of Munigi hill, 22 August 2013
Image:FIB-Munigi-10 (9576153305).jpg|FC Gen. Santos Cruz, NKB commander, Brigadier General C B Ponnappa and FIB commander [[James Aloizi Mwakibolwa]] in the trenches of Munigi hill, 22 August 2013
Image:UN Security Concil visit to Goma (10225286715).jpg|MONUSCO NKB commander, Brigadier General C B Ponnappa, briefs members of UN Security Council as they visit the front line in Kibati near Goma from where the M23 rebels have been recently defeated, 6 October 2013
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef| before = Harsha Gupta}}
{{s-ttl| title = [[Adjutant-General (India)|Adjutant General]] | years = 2022 - present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponnappa, C B}}
[[Category:Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Indian generals]]
[[Category:National Defence Academy (India) alumni]]
[[Category:United Nations military personnel]]
[[Category:Kodava people]]
[[Category:People from Kodagu district]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:People of the M23 rebellion]]
[[Category:Indian officials of the United Nations]]
[[Category:National Defence College, India alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal]]
[[Category:College of Defence Management alumni]]

Bansi Ponnappa - Revision history

Bot at 11:28, 4 December 2022