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India’s first CDS, longest serving four-star officer Gen Bipin Rawat is no more

Team MVR

India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 others were killed when their IAF Mi-17 helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district.

The chopper crashed in a forest area, reportedly due to poor visibility following heavy fog.

Rawat, 63, was the most senior official in the Indian military and the first chief of defense staff, a position created by the Modi government in 2019. He was also an adviser to the Defense Ministry. His primary task was to overhaul the military, which has struggled to modernize and improve coordination among the Army, Navy and Air Force. The CDS was to deliver a talk at the Wellington Staff college at 2.30 p.m. to the young cadet officers. He is survived by two daughter.

 

 

The first sitting Chief of Army Staff to be appointed as the CDS, Gen Rawat had an illustrious career spanning over four decades during which he served with distinction in several conflict-ridden areas, including Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.

PM Modi has expressed deep grief over the demise of Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces in the crash. In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said:

“I am deeply anguished by the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu in which we have lost Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. They served India with utmost diligence. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.

Gen Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional. His passing away has saddened me deeply. Om Shanti.

As India’s first CDS, Gen Rawat worked on diverse aspects relating to our armed forces including defence reforms. He brought with him a rich experience of serving in the Army. India will never forget his exceptional service.”

 

All you want to know about General Rawat.

* General Rawat was born in Pauri, Uttarakhand in a Hindu Garhwali Rajput family.

* He graduated from the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington.

* Several of his family members have served in the Army, including his father Laxman Singh Rawat who rose from the ranks to become the deputy chief of Army staff.

* Gen Rawat played a major role in successfully carrying out the 2015 cross-border operation into Myanmar in response to a major ambush by Naga militants.

* He was also part of the planning when India carried out surgical strikes against terror launch pads across the Line of Control in Pakistani-Occupied Kashmir that inflicted significant casualties on the adversary.

* Rawat attended Cambrian Hall School in Dehradun and the St. Edward’s School, Shimla.He was a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington and the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Gen Rawat was commissioned into the 5th battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles on December 16, 1978

* From September 1 to December 31, 2016, General Rawat served as the vice chief of the Army staff.

* On December 31, 2016, he became the 27th chief of the Army chief.

* In 2019, General Rawat took over as the 32nd chairman of the chiefs of staff committee.

* On January 1, 2020, he assumed office as India’s first CDS or tri-service chief.