Malay Kumar Lahiri

Lieutenant General Malay Kumar Lahiri, PVSM (also Moloy Lahiri and fondly called Mike Lahiri in Army circles; (20 September 1934 – 16 February 1996) was an Indian Army General Officer and former Indian association football player. He was part of the Indian teams that competed in the Asia Cup, 1959 Merdeka Tournament in Kuala Lumpur, 1959 pre Olympic tournament in Kabul, and was the first reserve for the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. and played for Gorkha Brigade and Services in the Durand Tournament and Santosh Trophy.

He was commissioned to the Third Battalion of the 3 Gorkha Rifles on 4 December 1954 and was awarded the silver medal. The Gold Medal in his Course was awarded to GC Bipin Chandra Joshi, later Chief of Army Staff. This 14th Course was a distinguished one with quite a few officers going on to the rank of Lieutenant General.

After the Sino-Indian War of 1962, he was selected to go to Fort Bragg, North Carolina to undergo training and then graduated from the US Army Special Warfare School. After successfully completing the Course in Psychological Operations, Counter Insurgency and Special Forces Operations, he came back to India to design and set-up the Commando Wing for the Indian Army at Infantry School, Mhow which was then relocated to Belgaum.

His major assignments in his 38-year career in the Indian Army were: Commissioned into 3/3 Gorkha Rifles Underwent training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina Commanding Officer of 4/3 Gorkha Rifles Commander, 25 Infantry Brigade National Defence College Defence Advisor, High Commission of India, Bangladesh General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Mountain Division Commandant Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School Director General Assam Rifles General Officer Commanding (GOC) IV Corps Director General National Cadet Corps

He was also the President, Gorkha Brigade of the Indian Army and Colonel of the Regiment of 3rd Gorkha Rifles. He was awarded the highest peacetime military award the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) by the President of India in the Republic Day honours of 1992. He retired from Service on 30 September 1992, and died from cancer in New Delhi, on 16 February 1996, at the age of 62.

Notable achievements and awards

Dates of rank

Medals

Post-retirement Post his retirement, Mike Lahiri did not wish to take up any assignment. However, he accepted the offer of becoming a member of the monitoring committee overseeing preparations for the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, in addition to other international games till the Atlanta Olympics. During this assignment he was diagnosed with cancer and died a short while later on February 16, 1996.