India Salutes Its First CDS General Bipin Rawat on His Death Anniversary

New Delhi: Today India salutes its first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and son of the soil, General Bipin Rawat, on his 3rd death anniversary. General Rawat died in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021, near the Bandishola area of the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu.   

Bipin Rawat Death Anniversary     

General Bipin Rawat was born in Pauri district of Uttarakhand on March 16, 1958. His family had been serving in the Indian Army for many generations. His father, Laxman Singh Rawat, served in the Indian Army and retired at the rank of Lt. General.

National Defence Academy ( NDA ) and the Indian Military Academy ( IMA ), alumni Rawat was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978 in the same unit where his father served during his period.

General Rawat, who was a dynamic army officer, had multiple feathers on his hat. In his entire 43-year service, he held different ranks as a brigade commander, general officer commanding-in-chief (GOC-C) Southern Command, general staff officer grade 2 at the Military Operations Directorate, colonel military secretary and deputy military secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch, and senior instructor in the Junior Command Wing. 

He was also a part of the UN Peacekeeping Force and commanded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Days after his retirement as Army general, the Indian government announced the creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) post, and General Rawat was appointed as India's first tri-service chief with effect from December 31, 2019.

General Bipin Rawat was a visionary leader whose contribution in redefining India’s defence strategy is instrumental.

On December 8, 2021, the 63-year-old Bipin Rawat died in a tragic helicopter crash in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. General Rawat was accompanied by his wife, Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other army personnel on board who also lost their lives.

The glowing visage of CDS General Bipin Rawat will be remembered for generations to come.