S.K. Sinha, former gov, passes away
New Delhi: Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha (Retd), former Army vice-chief, who resigned in protest at being denied promotion to Army Chief, and later served as governer of J&K and Assam, died here Thursday, aged 90. Full report on
With former Assam governor Lt. Gen. Srinivas K. Sinha’s (Retd) demise on Thursday at the age of 90, the state has lost one of its staunch backers. He is survived by his wife, son and IFS officer Y.K. Sinha who is at present Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka and is moving for his new posting to the UK, and three daughters.
It was by sheer coincidence that in 1997 the then Assam governor Sinha first heard about a 17th century Assamese hero named Lachit Borphukon. Sinha’s keen military mind spurred him to delve more deep and he was astounded by what he found out. Sinha later termed the 1671 Saraighat battle as the “greatest naval battle ever fought on a river”.
At a time when the Mughals were the mightiest power in India, the Ahom Army had repulsed 17 Mughal invasions and often delivering scathing defeats to the latter.
Enthused with his find from the Northeast, a region much neglected by mainstream history, Sinha got a statue of Lachit installed at National Defence Academy, Pune, where the Best Cadet is awarded the Lachit Borphukon gold medal. And coming to recent times, it was Sinha’s castigating report on illegal Bangladeshi immigration to Assam that resulted in the issue gaining awareness. Sinha was the governor of Assam from 1997 to 2003.
Sinha’s death was condoled by PM Narendra Modi on Thursday when he tweeted: “Had the opportunity of meeting Lt. Gen. Srinivas K. Sinha (Retd) just a few days ago. His service to our nation will always be remembered.”
Sinha’s Army stint wasn’t without controversies. He had resigned from service after the government superseded him and appointed General A.S. Vaidya as the new Army Chief.
Not just Assam, Sinha had ardent admirers in Jammu and Kashmir too where he was governor from 2003 to 2008. Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: “I spent many hours listening to his 1st hand account of events in J&K starting as far back as 1947. His recall of details was astounding.”
Born in 1926, Lt. Gen. Sinha graduated from Patna University in 1942 and soon joined the Army, passing out as the Best Cadet from the Officers Training School, Belgaum. He saw action during the Second World War in Burma and Indonesia and after Independence in Kashmir.
In recognition of his service, Lt. Gen. Sinha was awarded Param Vishist Sewa Medal in 1973. He was also appointed India’s ambassador to Nepal in 1990.