Tapishwar Narain Raina | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 9thChief of Army Staff (India) | |
| In office 1 June 1975 – 31 May 1978 | |
| President | Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed B. D. Jatti Neelam Sanjiva Reddy |
| Prime Minister | Indira Gandhi Morarji Desai |
| Preceded by | General G G Bewoor |
| Succeeded by | General O P Malhotra |
| High Commissioner of India to Canada | |
| In office February 1979 – May 1980 | |
| Prime Minister | Morarji Desai |
| Preceded by | Mahboob Ahmad |
| Succeeded by | G.S. Dhillon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1921-01-24)24 January 1921 |
| Died | 19 May 1980(1980-05-19) (aged 59)[1] |
| Awards |  Padma Bhushan Maha Vir ChakraMentioned in dispatches |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  British India India |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army Indian Air Force Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1978 |
| Rank |  General |
| Unit | 8th Punjab Regiment 19th Hyderabad Regiment .svg) Kumaon Regiment |
| Commands |  Western ArmyII Corps 25th Division 114 Infantry Brigade 14 Kumaon |
| Battles/wars | World War II Sino-Indian War Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 |
| Service number | IC-1850[2] |
GeneralTapishwar "Tappy" Narain RainaMVC SM (24 January 1921 – 19 May 1980), best known asT.N. Raina, was a seniorarmy officer and a diplomat who served as the 9thChief of the Army Staff of theIndian Army between 1975 and 1978.[3]
Upon retirement, he was appointed as theHigh Commissioner of India toCanada. He was a recipient of the third highest civilian honour of India, thePadma Bhushan.[4]
Raina was born in aKashmiri Pandit family on 24 January 1921,[5] the son of Rai Bahadur A. N. Raina, sometime Postmaster-General of Punjab.[6][7] He received his early education inLudhiana, where his father had been posted as Head Postmaster.[8] While a college student in Lahore, at theUniversity of the Punjab, Raina joined the 4th Punjab University Training Corps in October 1938.[6]
On 1 May 1941, Raina was attached to the 10th Battalion of the8th Punjab Regiment, but subsequently considered the air force and briefly served as a cadet in theIndian Air Force during July–August 1941.[6] He then joined the Officers' Training School at Mhow.[6] On 12 April 1942, Raina received an emergency commission as a second lieutenant in the 10th Battalion of19th Hyderabad Regiment,[9] which became theKumaon Regiment in 1948.[10] Raina initially joined 10/19 Hyderabad, then at Agra, but was posted to 2/19 Hyderabad in December 1942.[6] In March 1943, he was posted to 1/19 Hyderabad, stationed in Iraq.[6] 1/19 Hyderabad was then part of the24th Indian Infantry Brigade, attached to the 6th Indian Infantry Division. By the time Raina joined his battalion in Iraq, the major actions in whichIraqforce had been involved in were over. While atKirkuk, Raina was seriously wounded in a grenade-throwing accident which left him with severe wounds in his thighs and resulted in the loss of an eye.[6] He had a glass eye in place for the rest of his career in the army.[citation needed]
In July 1944, Raina's battalion returned to India and was attached to the26th Indian Infantry Brigade, which that December was sent to Burma attached to the36th Indian Infantry Division[6] He wasmentioned in dispatches for his service in theBurma Campaign.[11]
Over August 1949 - January 1951, Raina served as Indian Army Liaison Officer at the School of Infantry in Warminster, UK.[12]
He was the Brigade Commander atChushul inLadakh during November 1962. He was awarded theMaha Vir Chakra for his handling of the Battle ofChushul. He was a veteran of the1962 war and1971 wars.[13]
On 5 January 1965, Lieutenant-Colonel Raina was appointed Brigadier General Staff (BGS) of theXXXIII Corps inWest Bengal.[14][2] As a major general, Raina went on to become theGeneral Officer Commanding (GOC) of25 Infantry Division inPoonch.[15]
On 7 October 1971, Raina was appointed GOC ofII Corps in the Khulna sector, with the acting rank ofLieutenant General.[16] He raised the Corps inKrishnanagar and commanded it during operations in the Eastern Theatre of theIndo-Pakistani war of 1971, where it captured the important towns ofKhulna,Jessore,Jhenida,Magura andFaridpur and also the area between the riversGanges andPadma.[citation needed] For his contributions in the war Raina was awarded thePadma Bhushan.[15]
Raina was appointedGeneral Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command on 27 October 1973.[17] 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 byIndira Gandhi declared a state of national emergency inIndia. 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 Ministerthat 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.[18]
Raina died on 19 May 1980 inOttawa, while serving as India's High Commissioner to Canada.[13][19] Following his funeral and cremation with full military honours in Delhi on 25 May,[19] his son-in-law, together with his nephew, Squadron Leader K. K. Zalpuri, immersed his ashes in the Ganges atHaridwar on 27 May.[20]
On 25 February 1949, Raina married Marie Antoinette Florence Kurtz, who was French. The couple had a son, Jyotishwar Narain (1949–March 1974) and a daughter, Anita (born 1952). Jyoti Narain, who followed his father into the Army and joined his old regiment, was killed in a motorcycle accident in March 1974.[6][7] Anita married Arun Thapan.[20]
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| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
_OF-1a.svg) | Second Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 12 April 1942 (emergency)[9] |
_OF-1b.svg) | Lieutenant | British Indian Army | 1943 (war-substantive) 2 June 1947 (substantive) |
_OF-2.svg) | Captain | British Indian Army | 1944 (acting) |
| Lieutenant | Indian Army | 15 August 1947[note 1][21] |
| Captain | Indian Army | 12 April 1948[note 1][21] |
 | Captain | Indian Army | 26 January 1950 (recommissioning and change in insignia)[21][22] |
 | Major | Indian Army | 12 April 1955[23] |
 | Lieutenant-Colonel | Indian Army | 12 April 1958[24] |
 | Colonel | Indian Army | 29 August 1964[25] |
 | Brigadier | Indian Army | 1962 (acting) 5 January 1965 (acting)[2] 1 May 1965 (substantive)[26] |
 | Major General | Indian Army | 19 January 1966 (acting)[27] 14 October 1967 (substantive)[28] |
 | Lieutenant-General | Indian Army | 7 October 1971 (acting)[16] 20 May 1972 (substantive)[29] |
| General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 June 1975[30] |
In the Bollywood movie120 Bahadur, which is based onBattle of RezanglaAjinkya Deo portrayed Brig Raina's character.[31]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of Army Staff 1975–1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by M L Thapan | General Officer Commanding-in-ChiefWestern Command 1973–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Army Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Army (1948–1955) | ||
| Chief of the Army Staff (1955–present) |
| |
(**Seconded from theBritish Army) | ||
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