The saddest news of the day comes from Tamil Nadu as it is officially confirmed that the first Chief of Defense Staff of India Gen Bipin Rawat is officially martyred in a plane crash on 8th December 2021. A saddest day in the history of India as the untimely unexpected demise of the first Chief of Defense forces enveloped everyone in shock and despair. He was set to deliver a lecture at 2:45pm in the Wellington Defense college for young officers which ended on a very sad note even before it began.
IAF and Defence Minister Officially Confirms Rawat’s Death
An IAF chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his staff and at least one family member, was crashed in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor, with initially no information about the condition of the CDS. Thirteen of the fourteen personnel were confirmed dead after the crash took place in the Nilgiris, shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base in Sulur. Instantly the IAF initiated a probe in the matter “An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.”
General Rawat was accompanied by his wife Dr Madhulika Rawat and several other defense personnel on the chopper. General Bipin Rawat is the first and current Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) of India. He was appointed the same on 1 January 2020. Born in Pauri, Uttrakhand, Rawat’s family has been serving in the Indian Army for four generations. His wife Dr Madhulika Rawat has been a constant support in his service to the nation. She is the president of AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association).
