Admiral Sushil Kumar, Who Led Indian Navy During Kargil War, Dies At 79

Admiral Sushil Kumar, who led the Indian Navy during the Kargil War of 1999, dies in Delhi on Wednesday. Kumar died in early morning on Wednesday at the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi due to illness. He was 79. Kumar was Navy Chief from 1998 to 2000. Ex-Army chief Ved Malik took to Twitter and expressed his anguish. “Just learnt about passing away of my colleague during Kargil war, Admiral Sushil Kumar of Indian Navy. Always very professional and very positive. His contribution can not be forgotten. Will miss him. RIP Sushil,” Malik said on micro-blogging site. At one point, ex-Navy Chief had reportedly had said that ‘fear among Christians could percolate into the Armed Forces.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled on Wednesday the death of former Navy chief Admiral Sushil Kumar (retd), saying he contributed towards strengthening the maritime security of the country. "Admiral Sushil Kumar will be remembered for his great service to the nation. He contributed to the strengthening of our maritime security. Anguished by his demise. May his soul rest in peace," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting Modi.

Recalling about the Kargil War in his book ‘A Prime Minister To Remember: Memories Of Military Chief,’ Kumar had written: ‘Not crossing the LoC’ was a serious operational handicap for our armed forces but the Prime Minister (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) stuck to his decision. He knew that a war between adversaries with nuclear capability could have disastrous consequences and his insistence on ‘strategic restraint’ paid off in full measure. It garnered massive international support, and more importantly, it ensured that the war would be fought on terms dictated by India. This indeed was Prime Minister Vajpayee’s masterstroke which paved the way for a strategic victory at Kargil.”

“When the chips were down, it was Vajpayee’s iron will and positive approach that galvanised the armed forces to combat a well-entrenched enemy on the icy Himalayan heights where incredible feats of valour and sacrifice by our jawans and officers brought glory to the nation. This synergy that he infused into our fighting forces, ultimately transformed a tactical loss into a strategic victory for India,” Kumar wrote in his memoir.