Gen Dhiraj Seth saluting the casket holding the body of Gen VN Sharma. (Viral photo via X)
New Delhi: General Vishwa Nath Sharma (R), PVSM, AVSM, the 14th chief of the Indian Army staff, was cremated with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium in New Delhi on Saturday. The former Army chief, who died on Friday at the age of 96, was cremated at around 10.30am in the presence of serving and retired senior military officers, veterans and family members.
The current chief of the Army staff, General Dhiraj Seth, laid a wreath at the crematorium on behalf of all ranks of the Indian Army and conveyed condolences to Gen Sharma’s bereaved family. Gen Seth, who took charge as the 31st chief of the Army staff on June 30, 2026, led the Army’s ceremonial farewell to his predecessor.
The governor of Mizoram, General VK Singh (Retired), a former chief of the army staff himself, also laid a wreath and attended the funeral. General Singh headed the Army from 2010 to 2012, four decades after General Sharma held the same post.
Also present at the crematorium were a former chief of defence staff, some former Army chiefs, the chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh; and the chief of the naval staff, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. Several other serving and retired senior officers also gathered alongside veterans and members of Gen Sharma’s family to pay their final respects to the soldier.
Obituary: Gen VN Sharma, Army chief who fought 4 big crises at once, dies at 96
General Sharma, born in London on June 4, 1930, was commissioned into the Army in June 1950 and went on to become the first president’s commissioned officer to rise to the post of chief of the army staff, which he held from May 1, 1988 to June 30, 1990. As general officer commanding in chief (GOC-in-C) of the Eastern Command in 1987, he was at the centre of the Sumdorong-chu standoff with China in Arunachal Pradesh, among the tensest military confrontations between the two countries since 1962.
He was the younger brother of Major Som Nath Sharma, independent India’s first Param Vir Chakra awardee, who was killed in action during the 1947–48 Jammu & Kashmir operations. The family traces its roots to Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, where news of General Sharma’s death drew tributes from residents who remembered him as an unassuming figure despite his distinguished career.
The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, condoled General Sharma’s death, saying his “life of service will continue to inspire generations.” The Army, in a separate statement, described him as a distinguished soldier and visionary military leader who had carried forward his family’s legacy of courage and selfless service.
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