| Tapishwar Narain Raina | |
|---|---|
| Died | May 19, 1980 |
| Allegiance |
 India |
| Service/branch | Indian Army |
| Rank | General |
| Unit | Infantry |
| Commands held | Bde Cmd 114 (Ind) Infantry Brigade, GOC-C Western Command, COAS |
| Battles/wars |
Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 |
| Awards | Maha Vir Chakra |
Tapishwar Narain Raina (1921 – May 19, 1980) was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during 1975–78. Later he served as High Commissioner to Canada.
Early life and education[]
He was educated in Ludhiana, where his father, B. N. Raina, had been posted as Head Postmaster.[1] He was married to Marie Antoinette Raina,[2] who was a French woman.
Career[]
Raina served with the Kumaon Regiment [3] and was a veteran of the Second World War, as well as the 1962 war and 1971 wars.[4]
During the second world war, while serving as a 2nd Lieutenant, Raina was injured a grenade accident which resulted in the loss of an eye. He had a glass eye in place for the rest of his career in the army.
He was the Brigade Commander at Chushul in Ladakh during November 1962. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his handling of the Battle of Chushul.
Later, Raina became the Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of the XXXIII Corps in West Bengal.[5]
In 1971, Raina was a Lieutenant General, and was the General Officer Commanding of II Corps in the Khulna sector. Raina was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to the War.
He served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1 June 1975 to 31 May 1978.
During his tenure as the COAS, the central government led by Indira Gandhi declared a state of national emergency in India. Before the imposition of the emergency, it is believed that the Prime Minister asked for the Army's support in the venture, but General Raina bluntly told the Prime Minister that the army would not be used to 'further her ends' but obey only those orders of a 'legally construed government.' . This was considered a crucial moment that kept the Indian Army out of politics at a critical juncture.[6]
General Raina died on 19 May 1980 in Ottawa, while serving as India's High Commissioner to Canada.[4]
References[]
- ↑ Little Known facts about Ludhianvis The Tribune , Dated 25th June 2000
- ↑ Fauji Beat The Tribune, Dated 25 November 2003
- ↑ "The Courage of 13 Kumaon". Indianexpress.com. 20 Feb 2012. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-courage-of-13-kumaon/914107/4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Chief of Army Staff". Indian Army Official Website. 19 Jun 2012. http://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTemp1PTC2C.aspx?MnId=JDVp5MdpeiA2FxK7HbGXkA==&ParentID=7PyXNARie53Sgis+r/ml3A==. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ↑ Obituary to a Hero India Defence
- ↑ Militarism in India:The Army and Civil Society in Consensus[dead link] by Apurba Kundu
External links[]
- Bio of General Tapishwar Narain Raina on Bharat Rakshak
- Chronological list of Indian Commanders-in-Chief since 1947[dead link]
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The original article can be found at Tapishwar Narain Raina and the edit history here.