I.J. Rikhye; Indian Major General Oversaw U.N. Peacekeeping Efforts

He graduated from the Indian Military Academy in 1939 and joined the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, known as the Bengal Lancers. During World War II, he advanced rapidly and, by 24, had command of an armored squadron in the Middle East and Italy.

After India gained independence from England, he held various cavalry and armored commands and was on the front lines during the first conflict over the disputed Kashmir territory.

One young lieutenant under his command in 1946 was Mohammed Zia ul-Haq, future president of Pakistan. In his memoir, "Trumpets and Tumults," Gen. Rikhye wrote that he had been impressed with Zia and reversed an earlier recommendation that he not receive a commission in the regular army.

When they next met, in 1982, Gen. Rikhye wrote that he found it ironic and deeply troubling that Zia "had acquired notoriety as a ruthless ruler and military dictator and I had become a peacekeeper."

Promoted to colonel in 1957, Gen. Rikhye led the Indian contingent of the U.N. Emergency Force in Gaza shortly after the Suez Canal crisis. He later was chief of staff of the entire mission and briefly was acting commander before being dispatched to Congo.

After Hammarskjold was killed in a plane crash in 1961, Gen. Rikhye reported to his successor, Thant. He acted as Thant's special adviser during the Cuban missile crisis and oversaw a U.N. mission to Indonesia after the Dutch withdrew from the colony. He also was an observer in the Dominican Republic during a revolt there in 1965.

He once told the reference guide Contemporary Authors: "I am motivated by Gandhi's philosophy for nonviolent social change, Nehru's doctrine of Panch Sheel (non-alignment) and Hammarskjold's advocacy of the role of international organizations in promoting peaceful settlement of disputes and strengthening international systems for the maintenance of peace and security."

By many accounts, Gen. Rikhye was a genial man by military standards and could be generous with the media. Journalist Philip Knightley said that Gen. Rikhye once provided in the midst of the Six-Day War "a military-style briefing but a Punjabi-style breakfast with many eggs and piles of toast." He also was a former chairman of a United Nations symphony.

His marriage to Usha Erry Rikhye ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Cynthia de Haan Rikhye of Charlottesville; two sons from the first marriage, Ravi Rikhye of Takoma Park and Bhalinder Rikhye of Manhattan, N.Y.; two brothers; a sister; four grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.