The former Army chief General K.V. Krishna Rao, who was the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir for two terms when militancy flared up, died here on Saturday.
He was 93.
Gen. Rao passed away at the Army Hospital (Research and Referral), Delhi Cantonment. He served two terms as Jammu & Kashmir Governor when militancy flared up — first was a brief few months in 1989-90.
When the militancy picked pace, the Narasimha Rao government turned to the General, and he returned as the J&K governor in March 1993, and served through the tumultuous period until May 1998.
He started his career as an army officer during World War II, during which served in Burma, North West Frontier and Baluchistan.
Gen. Rao also participated in the 1947-48 war against Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, before he went on to become the founder instructor of the National Defence Academy during 1949-51.
He commanded an Army Division in the 1971 war with Pakistan in the eastern theatre. General Krishna Rao was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff on June 1, 1981 and served as COAS until July 1983.
He was also Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, the highest appointment in the Services, during March 1982 to July 1983. He was Colonel of the Mahar Regiment during 1968-83.
From June 1984 to July 1989, General Rao was the Governor of Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura. He also served short tenures as the Governor of Mizoram.
