Former Indian Army Chief General V.N. Sharma passed away at the age of 96 in Delhi on Friday. Hailing from the Dadh village in the Palampur tehsil of Kangra district, General Sharma was one of the few military officers in the Indian Army who achieved a remarkable journey from the battlefield to the highest ranks of the military.
Born in 1930, he was commissioned into the Indian Army’s 16th Light Cavalry in 1950, making him the first officer commissioned after India’s independence to later become the Chief of Army Staff. He served as the 14th Chief of Army Staff from May 1, 1988, to June 30, 1990.
During the 1965 war, General V.N. Sharma led operations in the Lahore sector as a Major. He also played a significant role in the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) operations in Sri Lanka. His leadership and strategic capabilities were widely praised during the India-China military standoff in 1987.