Ex-Army Chief Gen V N Sharma, who stood firm during 1987 Wangdung crisis, dies at 96

6 min readChandigarhUpdated: Jul 31, 2026 06:51 PM IST Known in Army circles as ‘Tich’ Sharma, General Vishwa Nath Sharma will be cremated at Brar Square Crematorium in Delhi Cantonment at 10.30 am on Saturday.General Vishwa Nath Sharma, the 15th Chief of Army Staff from June 1988 to June 1990, died on Friday in New Delhi. He was 96. A cavalry officer, the General is known to have refused to carry out a withdrawal of forces facing the Chinese Army in the Wangdung crisis — also called the Sumdorong Chu standoff of 1987-88 — while serving as Eastern Army Commander. Known in Army circles as ‘Tich’ Sharma, the veteran army officer will be cremated at Brar Square Crematorium in Delhi Cantonment at 10.30 am on Saturday.In 1987, Gen V N Sharma replaced Lt Gen J K Puri as Eastern Army Commander wh