Former Indian Army Chief Vishwa Nath Sharma Dies at 96 in New Delhi

Vishwa Nath Sharma, who served as India’s Army Chief from 1988 to 1990, passed away from natural causes in New Delhi at the age of 96.

Former Army Chief General Vishwa Nath Sharma died of natural causes in the early hours of Friday in New Delhi, aged 96. Commissioned into the 16th Light Cavalry in 1950, he became the first officer commissioned after Independence to become Chief of Army Staff, holding the post from May 1988 to June 1990. Sharma’s service record included combat in the 1965 Lahore sector, a colonel-general staff role during the 1971 war, and commands of armoured and mountain formations across the country.

He oversaw the Indian response to the 1987 Sumdorong Chu stand-off with China and managed multiple internal security challenges, from the LTTE conflict in Sri Lanka to insurgencies in Punjab, the Northeast and Kashmir. His decorations include the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. The general’s family legacy includes his brother Major Som Nath Sharma, the first Param Vir Chakra recipient. Sharma’s passing closes a chapter on a career that blended frontline leadership with instructional expertise.