Former Indian Army Chief, General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the Indian Army said on Monday.
Commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery, General Sundararajan Padmanabhan took charge as the 20th Chief of Army Staff on September 30, 2000. Born in Trivandrum, Kerala, on December 5, 1940, he was an alumnus of the prestigious Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehra Dun, and the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla in Pune. He was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery after graduating from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on December 13, 1959.
His illustrious career included several prestigious command, staff, and instructional postings, and he participated in numerous operations. He graduated from the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington in 1973 and the National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi.
General Padmanabhan commanded an Independent Light Battery from August 1975 to July 1976 and later commanded the Gazala Mountain Regiment from September 1977 to March 1980. This regiment, one of the oldest artillery regiments of the Indian Army, has participated in several wars.
He served as Instructor Gunnery at the School of Artillery in Deolali, was a Brigade Major of an infantry brigade during its raising, and served as Colonel General Staff of a Mountain Division from January 1983 to May 1985, for which he was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM). He also spent two tenures as an Instructor at the IMA.
Affectionately known as “Paddy” within army circles, he commanded an Independent Artillery Brigade and a Mountain Brigade before attending the prestigious NDC course in Delhi. He commanded an Infantry Brigade from December 1988 to February 1991 in Ranchi, Bihar, and Punjab, and was then appointed as the General Officer Commanding of an Infantry Division in Punjab from March 1991 to August 1992.
He served as Chief of Staff, 3 Corps, from September 1992 to June 1993. After his promotion to Lieutenant General, he commanded the 15 Corps in the Kashmir valley from July 1993 to February 1995, during which the Army made significant gains against militants in Kashmir, allowing for a scaling down of operations.
For his services as the 15 Corps Commander, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM). General Padmanabhan was later appointed Director General of Military Intelligence (DGMI), and after successfully completing this role, he took over as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Northern Command at Udhampur on September 1, 1996. Before being appointed Chief of Army Staff, he served as the GOC of Southern Command.
He retired on December 31, 2002, after completing more than 43 years of distinguished military service.
(With ANI Inputs)
