[2] He was also the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, a post occupied by India's senior-most military officer, who advises the government and ensures jointsmanship in the armed forces.

Raha was born in a Bengali family on 26 December 1954 in the city of Baidyabati, West Bengal.

After initial training on the HAL HT-2, he has flown the MIG-21 and MIG-29 aircraft and has commanded a MiG-29 fighter squadron and two frontline airbases along India's Western front.

The son, Atanu, is a commercial pilot who is married to Sanskriti Chatterjee Raha, a professional Kathakali dancer.

[10][11] In 2018, the state-run Sidho Kanho Birsha University awarded Arup Raha with an honorary D.Litt.