Krishnaswamy Sundarji

General Krishnaswamy Sundarji (28 April 1930 – 8 February 1999), was India's Chief of Army staff from 1986 to 1988. During his army career, he had commanded the Operation Blue Star under orders from Indira Gandhi to evict the Golden Temple shrine. This has been criticized widely as a military failure, with accusations of human rights n violations He introduced a number of technology initiatives for the Indian army(citation needed). He was also questioned for his role in recommending the Bofors Howitzer in the Bofors Scandal. As the Army Chief, he planned and executed Operation Brasstacks along Rajasthan border which was a major military exercise.

His formal or official name was Krishnaswamy Sundararajan, but he was popularly known by the informal name of Sundarji.

Early life

He was born on 28 April 1930 at Chengelpet in Tamil Nadu. He joined the Madras Christian College only to leave it before receiving a degree.

Subsequently, he graduated from the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington, Tamil Nadu. He also studied at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in the US, and the National Defence College in New Delhi. He held an Master of Arts in International Studies from Allahabad University and an M.Sc. in Defence Studies from Madras University.