Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Sushil

Kumar A coin, around 200 Yaudheyas.html" ;"title="BCE, of the Yaudheyas">BCE, of the Yaudheyas with depiction of Kumāra Karttikeya Kumar (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: wikt:कुमार, कुमार ''kumārá'') is a title, given name, mi ...

"S. K." Pillai ,

PVSM Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

(14 January 1934 – 8 April 2015) was an

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. He was best known for the role he played in quelling the troubles in India's north-east region. He was Colonel of the

Assam Regiment The Assam Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment consists of 25 battalions: 15 regular battalions, 3 Rashtriya Rifles battalions, 5 Territorial Army battalions (including 2 ecological battalions) and 2 Arunachal Scouts ...

from 1987 to 1991 and was awarded the

Param Vishisht Seva Medal Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: , ) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of India. It is the highest peacetime medal of the Indian Armed Forces, and is awarded for "dist ...

in 1989. He continued to remain active after his retirement in 1991.

Early life

Born on 14 January 1934, at Nagpur, in the aristocratic Elenkath family of Travancore, a nephew of Sir Narayana Raghavan Pillai of Elenkath he was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion of the Assam Regiment in 1955. He married an English lady named Mary Jane in New Delhi

Military career

During his Army career spanning over 36 years, he has held staff and instructional appointments including those of Military Attache in the erstwhile USSR and Mongolia during the Brezhnew Era, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Director General of Infantry. He commanded the 1st Battalion of the

from April 1970 to June 1972. He led the 14 Infantry Division and the 10 Corps.

Writings

As an expert on the North East, he wrote two monographs on the Nagas and the Mizos. He was an Associate Editor of Faultlines along with

Kanwar Pal Singh Gill Kanwar Pal Singh Gill (29 December 1934 – 26 May 2017) was an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. He served twice as DGP for the state of Punjab, India, Punjab, India, where he is credited with having brought the Punjab insurgency under con ...

and V. S. Jafa, a journal on conflict resolution. He dissected some important issues concerning India's internal security. He analysed the causes of insurgency in Nagaland and linked it to the issues of Naga identity and ethnicity. Tracing the growth of Naga insurgency, its leaders and the present situation, he has questioned a number of measures adopted by the Government of India. He has stated that the foisting of a typical democratic state apparatus based on adult franchise is alien to the Naga culture which is based on village leadership grown out of tribal customs. He has also authored "Assam Vikram," the regimental history of the Assam Regiment.

Death

On 8 April 2015, following a failed battle with cancer, he died at his residence in Kowdiar, Trivandrum and his funeral was conducted before sunset as per

Nair The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...

customs with full honours. In a tribute issued shortly afterwards, Lt Gen Subrata Saha, Colonel Commandant of the Assam Regiment said, ''He will be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the Assam Regiment, the Indian Army and the nation,''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Sushil Kumar Indian generals 1934 births 2015 deaths Military personnel from Thiruvananthapuram Malayali people Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal Military attachés for India Deputy chiefs of Army Staff (India)