Former commander of the Indian Army’s Western Command, Lt Gen Prem Nath Hoon, passed away on Monday, January 6.

The man, who famously led India to the Siachen glacier glory, breathed his last after suffering a brain haemorrhage, reported ANI. 

Hindustan Times

Born in pre-partition India on October 4, 1929, Hoon had joined the Sikh Regiment of the army in 1947.

By the 70s, he was already a veteran soldier having fought two successive wars in 1962 and 1965 against China and Pakistan respectively. 

ANI

But the glorious moment was leading India to a victory in the battle to capture the Siachen Glacier, in an operation titled “Operation Meghdoot”. 

Stiff Pakistani resistance and pressure from his own government, nothing bogged down Hoon and eventually his troops were able to place the Tricolor on Siachen top. 

I am still human

During his splendid career, Hoon led the Mountain and Infantry brigades, Infantry Division and the 15 Corps in Kashmir. 

He also served as the director-general of all military operations before eventually retiring in 1987. 

News18

His controversial book The Untold Truth, created a ruckus within the ministry in 1987 after he accused the then military circles of planning a coup to topple the Rajiv Gandhi-led government. 

Apart from blaming the then Army chief, General Krishnaswami Sundarji, and Lt Gen SF Rodrigues – Hoon claimed the then President, Giani Zail Singh, was also involved in the plot.

Punjab Kesari

Hoon also had a brief political career when he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2013.