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Updated December 8th, 2021 at 19:15 IST

Amit Shah condoles CDS Gen Bipin Rawat's demise; 'bravest soldiers who served India...'

India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was killed in a helicopter crash along with his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor

Reported by: Rohit Ranjan
Amit Shah
Image: PTI/ ANI | Image:self
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India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was killed in a helicopter crash along with his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others in Tamil Nadu's Upper Coonoor. General Rawat, along with 13 others, were on the Mi-17V5 helicopter when it crashed in the hills near Coonoor. Along with General Bipin Rawat and his wife, Defence Assistant to CDS Brigadier LS Lidder, SO to CDS Lt. Col. Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja, and Havaldar Satpal were among those on board. 

Home Minister Amit Shah took to Twitter and stated that it was a very sad day for the nation. He further stated that CDS Bipin Rawat was one of the bravest soldiers who had devoted his life to the homeland.

President Kovind said that he was saddened by the unexpected death of Gen. Bipin Rawat and his wife, Madhulika. He said that the country had lost one of its bravest sons.

About CDS Bipin Rawat

With a distinguished Army career spanning 42 years, Gen Bipin Rawat was appointed as India's first Chief of Defence Staff on 31 Dec 2019, a day before his retirement. After graduating from the National Defence Academy in 1978, he was commissioned into the Fifth Battalion of the Eleventh Gorkha Rifles of the Infantry, the Battalion which was Commanded by his father Lt. General Laxman Singh Rawat. Handling multiple operational portfolios, Rawat commanded an Infantry Battalion along the Line of Actual Control in the Eastern Sector and a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in the Kashmir Valley.

He was also assigned to Command an Infantry Division along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and was Corps Commander in the North-East. As an Army Commander, he was responsible to oversee operations in the Desert sector, along the Western front. Prior to assuming charge as CDS, he has held multiple portfolios like General Staff Officer at Military Operations Directorate, the Colonel and later Deputy Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch, the Major General Staff of the Eastern Theatre, Vice Chief of the Army Staff. He was also the Chief of the Army Staff from 31 Dec 2016 to 31 Dec 2019 and was succeeded by Gen MM Naravane.

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Published December 8th, 2021 at 19:15 IST

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