Krishnaswamy Sundarji
Rank Component Date of rank
Second Lieutenant British Indian Army 28 April 1946 ( emergency ) 28 January 1947 ( substantive )
Second Lieutenant Indian Army 15 August 1947
Lieutenant Indian Army 30 October 1949 ( seniority from 28 July 1948 )
Lieutenant Indian Army 26 January 1950 ( recommissioning and change in insignia )
Captain Indian Army 1953
Major Indian Army 28 January 1960
Lieutenant Colonel Indian Army 26 November 1965
Colonel Indian Army 17 December 1970
Brigadier Indian Army 1971 ( acting ) 24 January 1972 ( substantive )
Major General Indian Army 26 July 1974
Lieutenant-General Indian Army 5 February 1979
General ( COAS ) Indian Army 1 February 1986
Dates of rank
General Krishnaswamy Sundarji, PVSM (28 April 1928 - 8 February 1999), was the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1986 to 1988. He was the last former British Indian Army officer to command the Indian Army. During his army career, he had commanded the Operation Blue Star under orders from Indira Gandhi to clear the Golden Temple shrine. This was criticized widely as a military failure, with accusations of human rights violations. He introduced a number of technology initiatives to the Indian Army. He was also questioned for his role in recommending the Bofors howitzer in the Bofors Scandal. As the Chief of Army Staff, he planned and executed Operation Brasstacks, a major military exercise, along the Rajasthan border.