K. P. Candeth

Kunhiraman Palat Candeth (23 October 1916 – 19 May 2003) was a Major General in the Indian army when he led the operation to liberate Goa from the Portuguese occupation and served briefly as the Lieutenant Governor of the state. Subsequently, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the Indian Army. He was the Deputy Chief of Army Staff at the time of the 1965 war and commanded the Western Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

He was born in Ottapalam Kerala in an Anglo-Indian family [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article36784.ece] . He was commissioned in the British Indian Army on the 30th of August, 1936 in 28 Field Brigade of the Royal Indian Artillery. He had done his schooling at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun prior to this. He had a distinguished career in the Indian Army of over 38 years in many high profile appointments. He joined the BJP in the 1990s and was appointed a member of the Party's Executive Committee.

A great soldier and strategist, he was well known in the Indian Army as a noble, humane and a true gentleman soldier. Lt. General (Retired) Kunhiraman Palat Candeth was awarded the PVSM and also the Padma Shri by the Government of India. He was a bachelor to the end.

External links

* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/05/20/stories/2003052002461300.htm K.P. Candeth's obituary in "The Hindu"]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article36784.ece Kuldip Singh article]