Former Indian Army Chief General Sundararajan Padmanabhan Dies in Chennai

Chennai: The Indian Army's 20th Chief of Army Staff, General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, died in Tamil Nadu's Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as confirmed by the Indian Army on Monday.

Born on December 5, 1940, in Trivandrum, Kerala, General Padmanabhan was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery after graduating from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on December 13, 1959. His distinguished military career spanned more than 43 years, marked by several key command, staff, and instructional roles.

A graduate of the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) in Dehradun and the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla, Pune, he furthered his military education at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington and the National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi. Among his early commands, he led an Independent Light Battery from August 1975 to July 1976 and the Gazala Mountain Regiment, one of the oldest artillery units in the Indian Army, from September 1977 to March 1980.

General Padmanabhan also served as Instructor Gunnery at the School of Artillery in Deolali, held the position of Brigade Major of an infantry brigade, and was 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 completed two tenures as an Instructor at the IMA.

Within the army, he was affectionately known as "Paddy." His later commands included an Independent Artillery Brigade, a Mountain Brigade, and an Infantry Brigade in Ranchi, Bihar, and Punjab. He was appointed General Officer Commanding of an Infantry Division in Punjab from March 1991 to August 1992, followed by his role as Chief of Staff of the 3 Corps in September 1992.

After his promotion to Lieutenant General, General Padmanabhan commanded the 15 Corps in Kashmir from July 1993 to February 1995, a period marked by significant gains against militants. For his exemplary service, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).

He went on to serve as Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI) before taking over as General Officer Commanding of the Northern Command in Udhampur on September 1, 1996. Before being appointed as Chief of Army Staff on September 30, 2000, he was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command.

General Padmanabhan retired on December 31, 2002, after a long and distinguished career with the Indian Army.