New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) BJP's Lok Sabha member and Indian cricket board President Anurag Thakur was on Friday commissioned into the Territorial Army in the rank of Lieutenant by army chief General Dalbir Singh, an official statement said.
Thakur is the first BJP member of parliament to get commissioned into the Territorial Army.
The commissioning ceremony was held at the Integrated Headquarters of the Defence Ministry in the presence of military dignitaries and Thakur's family members.
Lieutenant Anurag Thakur was welcomed to the Territorial Army fold by Maj. Gen. Surinder Singh, Additional Director General of the Territorial Army.
Lieutenant Anurag Thakur cleared the Services Selection Board and was found fit for joining the Territorial Army, the statement said.
The officer has been commissioned in the 124 Infantary Batallion (TA) Sikh.
The Territorial Army is part of the Indian Army and manned by officers and men who are enlisted for training for two months in a year. Their actual role is during national emergencies like war and in support of the army when they relieve regular army for operations.
The Territorial Army also guards vital installations like ammunitions dumps and airports, as also vital lines of communications.
Thakur is also the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the apex regulatory body for cricket in the country.
