General Om Prakash Malhotra

PVSM

COAS, 31 May 1978 - 31 May 1981

Regiment of Artillery

General Om Prakash Malhotra assumed charge of the Indian Army, as the 11th Chief of Army Staff, on 31 May 1978. Born on 06 August 1922 in Srinagar, Kashmir he was commissioned into the Indian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Regiment of Artillery, in November 1941, at the young age of 19. He quickly rose up the ranks, which led to commanding a number of artillery regiments between November 1950 and July 1961. Later on in his army career, he became an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and also served as the Military Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Moscow, Russia for three years from June 1962 onwards.

General Malhotra commanded an Artillery Brigade from August 1965 to January 1966 and then took over command of a Mountain Brigade. After being promoted to Major General in September 1967, he commanded an Infantry Division for two years. He was then appointed as GOC 4 Corps in the Eastern Sector in September 1969, a post which he held till May 1972. He was then appointed as GOC 11 Corps at Jalandhar for two years and was later appointed as GOC-in-C Southern Command in Pune. He was awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) for service of the most exceptional order in 1976. Prior to his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, he served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff. He retired on 31 May 1981, after completing nearly 40 years of distinguished military service.

General Malhotra served as the Ambassador of India to Indonesia from 1981 to 1984. He was appointed as the Governor of Punjab in 1990, when militancy in the state was at its height. A resigned as Governor of Punjab in August 1991. A keen sportsman, he was the President of the Equestrian Federation of India for nine years and was the Founding President of the Asian Equestrian Federation. He has also been the President of the Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi. He is a Trustee of the Nehru Trust for the Indian Collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum and has served as the President of India's largest NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) - The National Association for the Blind - in New Delhi. In 1994, the University of Jammu conferred upon him the Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honours Causa). He is an active member of Kiwanis International in India. He is presently the Chairman of two charitable organizations - Shiksha and Chikitsa.