An Indian Air Force IAF helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Staff CDS General Bipin Rawat and 13 others crashed at Coonoor in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. While the search and rescue operation is underway, 13 of 14 personnel onboard the ill-fated military chopper have been confirmed dead, according to ANI.
An IAF Mi 17 V 5 helicopter with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident, the IAF said in a statement. As an inquiry is ordered to determine the cause of the accident, people and leaders from across the political spectrum have been praying for General Rawat's well-being.
An outstanding career.
CDS General Bipin Rawat was appointed the first Tri-Service Chief with effect December 31, 2019 after the government announced the creation of the CDS post. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of the CDS post on Independence Day in 2019 in a speech by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
His tenure as the Army Chief drew to a close in December 2019, becoming the first sitting Chief of Army Staff to be appointed to the top post.
As the CDS, he is a one-point advisor to the government on matters relating to the military and has the key goal of integrating the three services - Army, Navy and Indian Air Force IAF Rawat took over the Indian army from General Dalbir Singh Suhar on December 17, 2016 as the 27th Chief of Army Staff COAS General Rawat is an alumnus of St. Edward School, Shimla. He completed his M.Phil in Defence Studies from Madras University and holds two diplomas in management and computer studies.
He also completed his research on 'Military-Media Strategic Studies' and was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy Ph. D from Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy NDA and the India Military Academy IMA General Rawat was commissioned in 1978 in the Indian Army, in the Fifth Battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles.
He is a veteran of counterinsurgency warfare and has served in some of the most arduous territories of India, comprising the northern and eastern commands.
General Rawat has had a distinguished military profile with a vast operational and staff exposure over the past four decades. He has also been a part of the UN Peacekeeping Force and has commanded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
General Rawat commanded an infantry battalion along the Line of Actual Control LAC in the Eastern Sector, a Rashtriya Rifles sector, an infantry division in Kashmir and a corps in the North East.
Rawat is the fourth officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the COAS. He played an important role in reducing militancy in the North East.
General Rawat's career has been highlighted by the 2015 cross-border operation in Myanmar in which the Indian army successfully foiled an ambush attempt by NSCN-K militants.
He was part of the planning for the 2016 surgical strikes conducted by the Indian Army across the Line of Control LoC into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir PoK During his tenure General Rawat was decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and Sena Medal.