Sunith Francis Rodrigues
{{Short description|Indian army officer (1933–2022)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = General
| name = Sunith Francis Rodrigues
| honorific_suffix = PVSM, VSM
| image = General Sunith Francis Rodrigues.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| birth_name =
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1933|9|19}}
| birth_place = Bombay, British India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2022|3|4|1933|9|19}}
| death_place = Panaji, Goa, India
| placeofburial =
| placeofburial_label =
| placeofburial_coordinates =
| office = 26th Governor of Punjab and 13th Administrator of Chandigarh
| term_start = 16 November 2004
| term_end = 22 January 2010
| appointer = President of India
{{small|(then, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam)}}
| 1blankname = Chief Minister
| 1namedata = Parkash Singh Badal
| predecessor = Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai {{small|(additional charge)}}
Om Prakash Verma
| successor = Shivraj Patil
| office1 = 32nd Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
| term_start1 = 1 August 1991
| term_end1 = 30 June 1993
| president1 = R. Venkataraman
Shankar Dayal Sharma
| primeminister1 = P. V. Narasimha Rao
| predecessor1 = Surinder Mehra
| successor1 = Laxminarayan Ramdas
| office2 = 15th Chief of the Army Staff
| term_start2 = 1 July 1990
| term_end2 = 30 June 1993
| president2 = R. Venkataraman
Shankar Dayal Sharma
| primeminister2 = V. P. Singh
Chandra Shekhar
P. V. Narasimha Rao
| predecessor2 = Vishwa Nath Sharma
| successor2 = Bipin Chandra Joshi
| spouse =
| relations =
| signature =
| signature_size =
| signature_alt =
| module = {{infobox military person | embed = yes
| allegiance = {{flag|India}}
| branch = {{army|India}}
| branch_label = Branch
| serviceyears = 1952–1993
| serviceyears_label = Service years{{0|00}}
| unit = 20px Regiment of Artillery
| commands = 20px Western Army
20px Central Army
| battles = Sino-Indian War of 1962
Indo-Pakistani war of 1965
Indo-Pakistani war of 1971
| battles_label = Conflicts
| awards = {{plainlist|
}}
| laterwork = {{ubil|NSAB|Director of International Centre, Goa}}
| memorials =
}}
}}
General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM (19 September 1933 – 4 March 2022) was an Indian army officer who was Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army{{cite web| url = http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?262249| title = Ice Station Taurus {{!}} Outlook India Magazine}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/the-colonel-who-got-us-siachen|title = The Colonel Who Got Us Siachen|date = 8 July 2010}} from 1990 to 1993 and Governor of Punjab from 2004 to 2010.
Early life and education
Rodrigues was born in Bombay in 1933. He was educated at St. Xavier's High School, Fort in Bombay.
Military service
Rodrigues joined the Joint Services Wing of the Indian Military Academy in 1949 and was commissioned on 28 December 1952 into the Regiment of Artillery. After serving in several field and self-propelled artillery units he applied for pilot training in the air observation post of the Artillery in 1964 and qualified as an artillery aviation pilot. Between 1964 and 1969, he logged more than 158 flying hours on observation aircraft and helicopters, including 65 hours of combat flying during the 1965 war in which his unit logged on more than 56 precision artillery fire to effect on enemy formations.
He attended the Defence Services Staff College and took over as GSO II operations in XXXIII Corps HQ in 1971. In 1972, after the war with Pakistan, he was awarded the VSM for distinguished service.{{cite web|url=http://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/1972/O-1321-1972-0036-58849.pdf.|title=Lt. Col. Sunith Francis Rodrigues (IC 6119), Artillery − VSM Citation in 'The Gazette of India No 36' Page 982| date=2 September 1972|access-date=17 October 2020}} He later served as a GSO I operations of a division from 1973 to 1975.
As a Brigadier, he commanded a mountain infantry brigade in a high altitude sector from 1975 to 1977. Post this, Rodrigues attended the 1978 course at Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. He was Chief Instructor at Defence Services Staff College from 1979 to November 1981.
=General officer=
Rodrigues was then promoted to the rank of Major General and then took over the command of a division in a high altitude area. In 1982, he was awarded the master's degree in Defence Studies. He then served as the Chief of Staff of a Corps from 1983 to September 1985 after which he took over as Director General Military Training (DGMT).
After promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General, Rodrigues took command of a corps in the Northern Sector in 1986.
He was Vice Chief of Army Staff from November 1987 to April 1989 and then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Command from April 1989 to October 1989. He then took over Western Command from 1 November 1989 to 30 June 1990 and was the Chief of Army Staff from 1990 to 1993. He retired on 30 June 1993 after nearly 41 years of service.
Public service
After his retirement Rodrigues was Director of the International Centre, Goa for nearly six years. He served two terms on the National Security Advisory Board. Since his retirement, he has been engaged in social and literary pursuits and has also delivered talks on strategic issues. He takes a keen interest in education and empowering children to achieve their potential. He was on the Executive Council of Goa University for seven years and on the Managing Committee of the Goa Chamber of Commerce. He is also a long-standing Member of the Goa Planning Board and on the Board of Governors of the Goa Institute of Management.
=Governor of Punjab=
Rodrigues was appointed Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh on 8 November 2004, and he was sworn into office on 16 November 2004.
He was succeeded by Shivraj Patil on 22 January 2010.{{cite news |title=Shiv Raj Patil is 33rd Governor of Punjab |newspaper=Punjab Newsline Network |date=22 January 2010 |url=http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/shiv-raj-patil-33rd-governor-punjab}}
Death
Rodrigues died at the Manipal Hospital in Dona Paula on 4 March 2022, at the age of 88.{{Cite news |date=2022-03-04 |title=Former Army Chief Gen Rodrigues passes away |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/former-army-chief-gen-rodrigues-passes-away/article65190281.ece |access-date=2022-03-04 |issn=0971-751X}}
Military awards and decorations
| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| | |
| 105px |
| 105px |
| 105px |
| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;" |
| colspan="2"|Param Vishisht Seva Medal
|colspan="2"|Vishisht Seva Medal |
| General Service Medal 1947 |
| Raksha Medal |
| 25th Anniversary of Independence Medal |
Dates of rank
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef
|before = Surinder Mehra}}
{{s-ttl
|title = Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
|years = 1 August 1991 – 30 June 1993}}
{{s-aft
| after =Laxminarayan Ramdas
}}
{{succession box | before = Vishwa Nath Sharma|title = Chief of Army Staff | years = 1990–1993 | after = Bipin Chandra Joshi}}
{{Succession box
| title = Vice Chief of Army Staff
| years = 1 November 1987 – 20 April 1989
| before = J K Puri
| after = V K Sood
}}
{{Succession box
| title = General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command
| years = 1 November 1989 – 30 June 1990
| before = V K Nayak
| after = G S Grewal
}}
{{Succession box
| title = General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Central Command
| years = 1 April 1989 – 30 October 1989
| before = Sami Khan
| after = F. N. Billimoria
}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box
| before=Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai
| title=Governor of Punjab
| years = 2004–2010
| after = Shivraj Patil}}
{{s-end}}
{{Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee}}
{{Chief of the Army Staff India}}
{{PunjabGovernors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodrigues, Sunith Francis}}
Category:Chiefs of Army Staff (India)
Category:Vice chiefs of Army Staff (India)
Category:Military personnel from Mumbai
Category:Governors of Punjab, India
Category:Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Category:Indian Roman Catholics
Category:Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Category:Recipients of the Vishisht Seva Medal
Category:Academic staff of the Defence Services Staff College