Gurung appointed head of Nepal Army amid turmoil

Lt Gen Chhatraman Singh Gurung, who received training at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, was today appointed to head the Nepal Army after his controversial predecessor General Rukmangad Katawal went on a month-long leave ahead of his retirement next month.

The 22-party alliance government led by PM Madhav Kumar Nepal today appointed Lt. Gen. Gurung as the acting chief of the army. It also approved a month-long leave to General Katawal, who has been under pressure from Maoists to resign amid accusation that he had defied the orders of the previous Prachanda-led government.
 
57-year-old Gurung, who has received training at the the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, is also the first from the rank of commoners to head the army, which has been led by the country's elite and the aristocracy.

He will officially be the Army Chief after Katawal's three-year tenure expires on September 9. Katawal, who has been at the centre of controversy ever since he became the army chief in September 2006, will be on leave from tomorrow.
 
The change of guard at the helm of 95,000-strong Nepal Army comes amid a continued blockade of Parliament by the Maoists demanding Katawal's removal.