Dewan Rabindranath Soni

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 Lieutenant General Satinder Kumar Saini.

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.

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.

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.

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.