Zubin A. Minwalla

Lieutenant General

Zubin A. Minwalla

UYSM, AVSM, YSM
Allegiance India
Branch
 Indian Army
Service years
1989 – present
Rank
 Lieutenant General
Unit4/9 Gorkha Rifles
CommandsXXXIII Corps
Uttar Bharat Area
IMTRAT
5th Mountain Division
268th Infantry Brigade
4/9 Gorkha Rifles
Awards Uttam Yudh Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Yudh Seva Medal
SpouseLyla Minwalla

Lieutenant General Zubin A. Minwalla UYSM, AVSM, YSM is a serving general officer of the Indian Army. He currently serves as the Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (Operations). He earlier served as the General Officer Commanding XXXIII Corps and as the GOC Uttar Bharat Area.

Early life and education

Minwalla is a second-generation Parsi officer. He attended the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun and joined the National Defence Academy, as part of the 75th course. He then was part of the 85th course of the Indian Military Academy.[1]

Military career

Minwalla was commissioned into the 4th battalion, The 9th Gorkha Rifles (4/9 GR) (CHINDITS) in December 1989. Early in his career, he served as a Divisional officer at his alma-mater - the National Defence Academy. He also served as the Tactical Training Officer at NDA. He attended the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He served as the GSO-1 (Ops) at XI Corps headquarters.[1]

Minwalla commanded his battalion, the 4/9 Gorkha Rifles (CHINDITS). The battalion was under the 190th Mountain Brigade and deployed on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh. In the rank of Colonel, he attended the Higher Command Course (HCC)) at the Army War College, Mhow, and served as the Colonel General Staff (Planning) at Headquarters Eastern Command and Colonel General Staff (Infantry) at the Army War College, Mhow.

Promoted to the rank of Brigadier, Minwalla commanded the 268th Infantry Brigade in Pharkian, on the Line of Control. On 26 January 2017, he was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal.[2] He was then selected to attend the National Defence College in New Delhi, as part of the 58th course. He subsequently served as the Brigadier (Administration) at NDA, as the Brigadier General Staff at HQ XII Corps and as the Brigadier (IC) at Army Headquarters.[1]

General officer

Minwalla was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed General officer commanding 5th Mountain Division in Sikkim.[3] He subsequently moved to Bhutan in command of the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT).[4] On 26 January 2023, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.[5]

Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, Minwalla moved to Army Headquarters as the Director General (Information Warfare). On 2 December 2023, he took over as the Colonel of the 9th Gorkha Rifles.[6] Later that month, he was appointed General officer commanding Uttar Bharat Area. The UB Area is a static formation, consisting of multiple sub-areas, covering the states of Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Uttar Pradesh. He took over from Lieutenant General Ram Chander Tiwari on 28 December 2023.[7][8]

On 10 June 2024, Minwalla took command of XXXIII Corps.[9] Christened Trishakti Corps, the corps is headquartered in Siliguri and its area of responsibility includes North Bengal, Sikkim, and if needed, Bhutan.[10][11][12] For his command of XXXIII Corps, he was awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal on 26 January 2025.[13] After a year-long tenure, he moved to the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Doctrine, Organisation and Training), taking over from Lieutenant General Vipul Shinghal.[14] After a short stint, he handed over to Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty and took over as DCIDS (Ops) in March 2026.[15]

Awards and decorations

Minwalla was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal in 2017, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2023 and the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2025. He has also been awarded the COAS Commendation and the GOC-in-C Eastern Command Commendation.

Uttam Yudh Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Yudh Seva Medal Special Service Medal Siachen Glacier Medal Operation Parakram Medal
Sainya Seva Medal High Altitude Medal Videsh Seva Medal 75th Independence Anniversary Medal
50th Independence Anniversary Medal 30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

References

  1. 1 2 3 "DEPUTY CHIEF OF INTEGRATED DEFENCE STAFF (OPS)". ids.nic.in. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "398 Republic Day Gallantry and other Defence Decorations Announced". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "India deploys US-made weapons along border with China". The Straits Times. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Bhutan Times". facebook.com. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "LIST OF PERSONNEL BEING CONFERRED GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED AWARDS ON THE OCCASION OF REPUBLIC DAY-2023" (PDF). pib.gov.in. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "PRO Defence Lucknow". x.com. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Uttar Bharat Area". x.com. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Uttar Bharat Area". x.com. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Lt Gen Zubin Minwalla took over as General Officer Commanding of Trishakti Corps from Lt Gen VPS Kaushik". 2024-06-10. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  10. ↑ "INDIA-MONGOLIA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE NOMADIC ELEPHANT CONCLUDES". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Chief Minister Meets Lt. General Zubin A. Minwalla at Mintokgang". sikkim.gov.in. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Indian Army reaffirms commitment to Gorkha veterans at ex-servicemen rally in Nepal". India Today NE. 1 February 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "President approves Gallantry awards to 93 Armed Forces personnel, including 12 posthumous & 305 defence decorations on the eve of Republic Day 2025". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  14. ↑ India, The Hans (27 November 2025). "Lt Gen Zubin A Minwalla takes charge as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "HQ IDS". x.com. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
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