Dewan Rabindranath Soni

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = Lieutenant General

| name = D R Soni

| honorific_suffix = PVSM, VSM

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| image = DR Soni GOC.jpg

| image_size = 200px

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| allegiance = {{IND}}

| branch = {{army|India}}

| serviceyears = June 1979 – September 2018

| rank = 22px Lieutenant General

| servicenumber = IC-35987P

| unit = Central India Horse

| commands =20px Southern Command
20px Army Training Command
X Corps
47 Armoured Regiment

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| awards = 20px Param Vishisht Seva Medal
20px Vishisht Seva Medal

| spouse = Colonel Suman Soni (retd.)

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Lieutenant General Dewan Rabindranath Soni, PVSM, VSM is a former General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Southern Command of the Indian Army. He served in office from 1 December 2017 till 30 September 2018. He assumed the post after Lieutenant General P M Hariz retired and was succeeded by Lt General Satinder Kumar Saini.{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/lt-gen-dr-soni-takes-over-as-chief-of-southern-command-4964165/|title=Lt Gen Soni takes over as chief of Southern Command|date=2 December 2017|work=The Indian Express|access-date=4 December 2017|language=en-US|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202032102/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/lt-gen-dr-soni-takes-over-as-chief-of-southern-command-4964165/|archivedate=2 December 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/lt-gen-saini-takes-charge-as-head-of-southern-command-118100101134_1.html|title=Lt Gen Saini takes charge as head of Southern Command|agency=Press Trust of India|date=2018-10-01|work=Business Standard India|access-date=2018-10-01}}

Education and personal life

Soni is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. In addition, he attended the Junior Command, Senior Command and Higher Command Courses at Army War College, Mhow; the Staff Course at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; and the Combat Group Commanders Course at Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar. He also has a master's degree in Global Security from Cranfield University and attended the Defence College of Management and Technology, Shrivenham in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com/profile/lt-general-dr-soni/|title=Lieutenant General D.R. Soni|website=SP's Military Year Book|accessdate=1 December 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204231829/http://www.spsmilitaryyearbook.com/profile/lt-general-dr-soni/|archivedate=4 December 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=y5+iSshGzP7XdBD/ft9sXg==&ParentID=pU4RzCzaNYIVUFwil2GEug==|title=Official Website of the Indian Army}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/community/lt-gen-soni-is-goc-in-chief-of-artrac/296728.html|title=Lt Gen Soni is GOC-in-Chief of ARTRAC|date=18 September 2016|website=The Tribune|accessdate=1 December 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825021725/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/community/lt-gen-soni-is-goc-in-chief-of-artrac/296728.html|archivedate=25 August 2017}}

He is a sportsman and likes golf and tennis. He is married to Colonel Suman Soni (retd.), who served in the Army as a gynecologist for twenty-two years.

Career

Soni was commissioned into the Central India Horse, a tank regiment of the Indian Army, in June 1979. Later, he was transferred to the 47 Armoured Regiment on its raising in 1983. He has commanded an armoured brigade; an armoured division; 47 armoured Regiment (July 1999 - December 2001), X Corps (Bhatinda) (18 June 2015 – 16 September 2016) and GOC-in-C, Army Training Command (17 September 2016 – 30 November 2017). He has held various staff appointments including Brigade Major of an armoured brigade; Colonel Administration of a Counter Insurgency Force in Jammu and Kashmir, and Colonel General Staff of a Mountain Division in the Eastern Sector. He was also deputed as a military observer in Iraq and Kuwait after the Gulf War.{{dead link|date=January 2018}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/bathinda/lt-gen-soni-takes-command-of-chetak-corps/95614.html|title=Lt Gen Soni takes command of Chetak Corps}}

During 39 years of his career, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (2018), Vishisht Seva Medal (2015), the Chief of the Army Staff’s Commendation Card and the Commendation Card of the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Western Command.{{Cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=114924|title=Ashok Chakra Awarded to NK Neeraj Kumar Singh of 13 Rajputana Rifles (Posthumous) 374 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced|website=pib.nic.in|access-date=4 December 2017|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204231824/http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=114924|archivedate=4 December 2017}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1517875|title=Press Information Bureau|website=www.pib.nic.in|language=en|access-date=2018-01-26}}

Lt. Gen. Soni retired on September 30, 2018, and was succeeded as the GOC-in-C of the Southern Command by Lt. Gen. S.K. Saini.{{cite news |title=Lt. Gen. Saini takes charge of Southern Command |newspaper=The Times of India |date=October 2018 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/lt-gen-saini-takes-overat-southern-command/articleshow/66034856.cms}}