India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, and his wife Madhulika Rawat were cremated with full military honors at Brar Square, New Delhi, on December 10, 2021. The General was accorded a 17-gun salute.
India’s top general was on his way from Sulur Air Force Base, Coimbatore, to Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, on December 8, when the chopper carrying him, his wife, and 12 others crashed ten kilometers away from the destination, in Bandishola Panchayat of Nilgiris District.
The General was aboard a Mi17-V5 helicopter when the tragedy struck.
Indian Air Force constituted a tri-service Court of Inquiry and appealed against ‘uninformed speculation.’
The 63-year-old General Bipin Rawat served as the 27th Chief of Army Staff from December 2016 to December 2019. He took on the role of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2020.
General Rawat was born into an army family. His father, Lakshman Singh Rawat, retired as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff.
The General’s untimely demise evoked compassionate condolences from armed forces and the public alike.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the nation will never forget the services of the deceased personnel of the Armed Forces.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah lauded General Bipin Rawat for his devotion to the nation.
Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi said the country stands united in this grief.