Port Blair: Lt Gen (Retd.) Madan Mohan Lakhera, a highly decorated Indian Army officer who later served as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry with additional charge of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and subsequently as Governor of Mizoram, passed away on June 29 at a private hospital in Dehradun following a prolonged illness. He was 88.
Lt Gen Lakhera held the additional charge of Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands in 2005-06, a period during which the Islands were recovering from the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. As Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry from July 2004 to July 2006, he closely monitored relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts before taking over as Governor of Mizoram, a post he held from July 2006 to September 2011.
His demise has been widely mourned, with leaders remembering him as a distinguished soldier, an able administrator and a gentleman whose life was marked by unwavering commitment to national service. His association with the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, though brief, remains a notable chapter in the administrative history of the Union Territory.
Born on October 21, 1937, in present-day Uttarakhand, Lt Gen Lakhera had an illustrious military career spanning more than three decades. Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1958 after graduating from the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy, he participated in the liberation of Goa in 1961 and fought in the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971 in the Jammu & Kashmir sector. He rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant General and was honoured with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) for his distinguished service to the nation.
Following his retirement from the Army, Lt Gen Lakhera transitioned seamlessly into public service, earning respect as a disciplined administrator and constitutional authority. During his tenure as Governor of Mizoram, he was widely appreciated for promoting good governance, transparency and public welfare, while regularly visiting remote districts to understand people’s concerns firsthand.
