K.P. Candeth

Lieutenant General K P Candeth Padma Bhushan, PVSM
K. P. Candeth
Born	(1916-09-23)23 September 1916 Ottapalam, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	19 May 2003(2003-05-19) (aged 86)
Allegiance	India
Service/branch	Indian Army
Years of service	1934–1973
Rank	Lieutenant General
Unit	Royal Indian Artillery
Commands held	Western Army 8 Mountain Division 17 Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 Operation Vijay Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 Indo-Pakistan War of 1971
Awards	Padma Bhushan Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Relations	Sir C. Sankaran Nair (Maternal Grandfather) Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar (Paternal Grandfather)
Other work	Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

His Excellency Kunhiraman Palat Candeth Major General

Lieutenant Governor of Goa
In office 19 December 1961 – 6 June 1962
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	T. Sivasankar

Lieutenant General Kunhiraman Palat Candeth (23 October 1916 – 19 May 2003) was a Three Star General in the Indian army. In 1961, the then Major General Candeth led Operation Vijay to annexe Goa from the Portuguese colonial rule and served briefly as the Lieutenant Governor of the state. Subsequently, he rose to Deputy Chief of Army Staff at the time of the 1965 war and commanded the Western Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

He was born in Ottapalam, Madras Presidency (now Kerala) in British India (now India) to MA Candeth, being the grandson of the renowned barrister and writer Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar. His maternal grandfather was Sir C. Sankaran Nair, who was the President of the Indian National Congress. He told a reporter during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 that "I am a Nair from Kerala. I am a Kshatriya". He had done his training at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun, where he was highly rated in the classroom and on the playing field. Candeth was commissioned in the British Indian Army on 30 August 1936 in 28 Field Brigade of the Royal Indian Artillery.