BIPIN RAWAT

( Mar 16 1958 - Dec 08 2021 )

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Achievements

General Bipin Rawat (16 March 1958 – 8 December 2021) was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army. General Bipin Rawat was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army. He served as the first Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in a helicopter crash in December 2021. Born in Pauri, Uttarakhand on March 16, 1958, his family had been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations. His father Laxman Singh Rawat was from Sainj village of the Pauri Garhwal district and rose to the rank of Lt General. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Rawat was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978 in the same unit as his father, the fifth battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles. The first CDS is a veteran of counterinsurgency warfare and has served in some of the most difficult terrains of India, including the northern and eastern commands. During his 43-years in service, Rawat served 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 United Nations Peacekeeping Force and has commanded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rawat became the Vice-Chief of Army Staff before becoming the fourth officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the COAS. He was instrumental in reducing the militancy in the Northeast, with one of the highlights of his career being the 2015 cross-border operation into Myanmar in which the Indian Army successfully responded to an ambush by NSCN-K militants. The mission was conducted from the operation command of Dimapur-based III Corps under Rawat's supervision. He was also part of the planning for the 2016 surgical strikes, in which the Indian Army went across the Line of Control into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Rawat, it was reported, was monitoring the developments from South Block in New Delhi. During his service, General Rawat had been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, and Sena Medal. Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others died after the Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the crash. India's defence minister Rajnath Singh paid homage to the victims on Thursday in parliament. "With profound grief and heavy heart, I stand to convey the unfortunate news of the crash of the military helicopter in the noon of 8 December 2021, with India's first Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat on board," said Mr Singh. Their bodies will be brought to the national capital of Delhi on Thursday. Gen Rawat and his wife Madhulika's funerals will be held on Friday. The general will be cremated with full military honours. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said Gen Rawat was a "valued partner" for Washington. "General Rawat left an indelible mark on the course of the US-India defence partnership and was at the centre of the Indian armed forces' transformation into a more jointly integrated warfighting organisation," Mr Austin said in a statement.

Profession

Indian military officer

Address

Pauri Garhwal