India's first Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in coma

WAR HERO: Manekshaw is a veteran of the World War II, 1962 Sino-Indian war and the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and 1971.

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New Delhi: The Indian Army's first and only surviving Field Marshal, Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw is fighting for his life at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Wellington in Tamil Nadu.

CNN-IBN Defence Correspondent reports, "Sam has moved in to coma following complications with lung ailment. He is in the ICU of the Army's Wellington hospital and a lung specialist has been flown in from Delhi to supervise the treatment. His daughters are with him."

Ninety-four year old Manekshaw has been plagued by old age-related ailments for the past few years.

It was under his command that Indian forces routed the Pakistan Army in a 13-day blitzkrieg during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. After the war, which saw more than 90,000 Pakistani troops surrendering on December 16, 1971 in Dhaka, Manekshaw was conferred the honorary rank of Field Marshal.

Fondly known as Sam Bahadur, Manekshaw retired as India's eighth army chief on January 15, 1973, after four decades of military service.

Manekshaw is also a veteran of the World War II, the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the Indo-Pak war of 1965.

He was born on April 3, 1914, at Amritsar and is an alumnus of the first course of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, in 1934. He became the Indian Army chief on June 7, 1969.

The only other Field Marshal of the Indian Army was Kodandera Madappa Cariappa who was conferred the honorary rank in 1983.