The appointment of Lt Gen Zubin Minwalla as commander of the Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army on June 10, 2024 has been warmly welcomed by members of the armed forces.
In a message Air Chief Marshal Fali Major (retd) wrote: "It is indeed heart-warming that after a long break we have a Parsi Lt Gen in the Indian Army. Minwalla recently assumed command of XXXIII Corps (as the Trishakti Corps is also known), whose area of responsibility is the crucial Eastern Indo-China border. Zubin has an onerous task ahead of him. Given his impeccable track record, I am sure he will be an asset to the Indian Army, the country and our community.”
Cmde Aspi Cawasji (retd) says, "It gives me immense pleasure to note that Minwalla has assumed command of the Trishakti Corps responsible for security of our Eastern borders. His outstanding leadership and hands-on approach will ensure that operations in the Eastern sector with China remain in safe hands.”
Air Marshal Maneck Madon (retd) noted, "My cousin Zubin is a thoroughbred soldier, born and brought up in an army household with a robust lineage. He is a dignified officer of the Indian Army and a very competent professional who has deservedly earned this eminent rank, just a few steps short of the pinnacle. I wish him the very best and earnestly hope he reaches the top spot in the years ahead.”
Lt Gen Zubin Minwalla (l) taking over
command from Lt Gen V. P. S. Kaushik
Maj Gen Naozar Patel, whose father and brother were army officers and whose son is now serving in the army, says, "I am delighted that Zubin has attained the coveted rank of Lt Gen. It has been a very long time since a Parsi officer has reached this rank. It bears testimony to his professional competence and leadership qualities and I am certain he will bring these qualities to the fore in the formations he commands. I wish him a successful and satisfying tenure in the Indian Army.”
A three-star general, Minwalla is in command of an estimated troop strength of 45,000 to 60,000 soldiers. The Corps was recently in the news when, working under adverse weather conditions, they constructed a 50-ft bridge to reconnect border villages in North Sikkim (Deccan Herald, June 24).
Awarded the Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) last year, Minwalla had earlier received the Yudh Seva Medal in 2017 during his command of an infantry brigade on the Line of Control in North Kashmir. The officer had commanded a mountain division on the Line of Actual Control in the eastern theater in 2021 and headed a training team in Bhutan.
Trishakti traces its heritage to the British Indian Army XXXIII Corps formed in 1942, disbanded in 1945 and resurrected in 1960. The Corps is headquartered in Sukna, North Bengal.
Minwalla was born in 1969 to Sakar and Maj Gen Adi Minwalla. Zubin did his schooling from the Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun and subsequently graduated from the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. Commissioned as an officer in the 4th battalion of the 9th Gorkha Rifles in 1989, the senior officer has a master’s degree in defence studies and a double MPhil.
Married to trained educator Lyla, an alumnus of Bishop Cotton School and Mt Carmel College, Bangalore, the couple has two daughters, Ariana, 25, who "is with the Villa Swagatam program that coordinates cultural exchanges between France and India, and Farah, 23, who works with the Boston Consulting Group,” Zubin explained. Beyniaz Edulji