NEW DELHI, Nov. 18 -- The Chief of Indian Army Gen. Bipin Chandra Joshi died from a heart attack Friday, a defense spokesman said. Joshi, 59, died in New Delhi's army hospital after being rushed there early Friday morning when he complained of shortness of breath, the spokesman said.
Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1954, Joshi, 59, had received many decorations and awards. Before becoming the chief of one of the world's largest security forces, Joshi had served as a staff officer in the U.N. peacekeeping forces in Gaza, and also commanded an armored regiment in 1971 during the Indo-Pakistan war. India's 16th chief of army staff, Joshi was also the first to die while serving as the chief -- a position he held since July 1993. When Joshi took over as army chief last year, political, ethnic and religious strife was India's main national security problem, forcing policymakers to commit more than half of the Indian Army for internal security operations. Joshi had said he tried to instil an appreciation of human rights among his forces. 'The international community is showing an increasing awareness of human rights and India can not afford to be out of step,' he once told India's security forces. 'It is the duty of security forces to act and use force against militants, but the intricate nuances of human rights must be fully understood by officers and soldiers,' he said.
