Photo from Twitter handle of All India Radio News.

Ramamohan Rao,New Delhi, January 30

In the passing away of General KV Krishna Rao, the nation has lost an eminent Army officer who played an eminent role in the Army as also in putting down insurgency in Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur, and later in Jammu and Kashmir.During my stay in the Defence Ministry and later as Principal Information Officer, I was in close contact with him. When I took over as Director of Public Relations in the Defence Ministry in 1981, he was the Chief of Army Staff. I had asked him that I would like to cover the Prime Minister’s address to the Army Commander’s Conference. But he told me that only the Army Commanders, Defence Minister and Prime Minister’s team were permitted. He said the release would be given to me by the Army Headquarters by 5 pm.After the meeting, I called on then Defence Minister Venkataraman about the meeting. He gave me the details, the text of his speech, and what the Prime Minister had told the Commanders from the notes he had taken down.I prepared a release, had it cleared by HY Sharada Prasad in the Prime Minister’s Office and the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Alexandar and with clearance from the Defence Secretary, released it at 5 pm as the Army Headquarters had not sent their copy.I was summoned to the Army Chief’s Office. Gen Krishna Rao seemed annoyed. When I narrated as to how I had got the facts and got these cleared, he replied: “Ram, you have done a good job. My blokes would not have done as good a release as you have.” He also told me to approach him directly any time I wanted to see him.I was the DPR (Defence) till he retired. My office in the South Block was below his office on the ground floor and he would drop by in the evening. My association with him continued when he was Governor in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir . When PM Rajiv Gandhi appointed him Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in July 1989, after a study, he sought a few battations of the paramilitary forces to put down the insurgenc. When suggested by Home Minister Buta Singh that he could use the Army as CRPF units were required for national elections which were due shortly, he replied that he did not want the Army to be used in Jammu and Kashmir.The situation turned worse when the Congress lost power at the Centre and VP Singh took over. Following the release of militants in exchange for Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and the deteriorating situation, he sought an appointment with the Prime Minister. There was a delay in getting the appointment and he resigned and Jagmohan was appointed Governor. He was replaced by GC Saxena. General Krishna Rao was reappointed Governor when the Congress returned to power and Rajesh Pilot was appointed Minister of State in the Home Ministry.By that time, I had taken over as Adviser to the Governor of J&K. I worked closely with him and the credit for preparing the ground for the national elections and the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir should go to General Krishna Rao.He gained the confidence of the people of the state, dealt effectively with the police agitation and the Hazratbal crisis when militants took refuge in the holy shrine. Following the swearing in of a democratically elected government headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah, he remained in his post for a short while. — ANI