General Bipin Laxman Singh Rawat held the status of a four-star general of the Indian Army. He took over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on December 17, 2016, succeeding General Dalbir Singh Suhag.
New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died when a Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed in Coonoor of Tamil Nadu. The four-star general was on his way to Wellington from Sulur airbase. He was accompanied by his wife Madhulika Rawat, who too was killed in the tragic accident.
Holding the prestigious designation of being the first sitting Chief of Army Staff to be appointed to the top post is one of his many accolades.
Before becoming the fourth officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), he was designated to the position of the Vice-Chief of Army Staff.
General Bipin Rawat took over as the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) on December 17, 2016, succeeding General Dalbir Singh Suhag.
After graduating from the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Rawat was recruited into the Indian Army in December 1978 and was enlisted in the same unit as his father, the fifth battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles.
Rawat is widely revered for his extensive expertise in the field of counterinsurgency warfare and has been known to have served in some of the most perilous terrains of India, including the northern and eastern commands.
In his four decades-long services, Rawat has 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 has also been an integral part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and has spearheaded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Neutralizing militancy in the Northeast is one of the most significant accomplishments of General Bipin Rawat’s decorated career in the Indian Army and the 2015 cross-border operation into Myanmar in which the Indian Army successfully retaliated to an ambush by NSCN-K militants is the best embodiment of his excellence.
During his service, General Rawat has been adorned with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, and Sena Medal.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
