The Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying Gen. Rawat, the 63-year-old tri-services chief who would have completed two years at the end of this month in the new post after serving as the Army chief, crashed killing 13 of the 14 people on board including his wife and 11 other armed forces personnel.
The chopper, with a total of 14 persons on board, took off from the Sulur air base near Coimbatore and was on its way to Coonoor.
As the nation mourns the death of its first CDS, condolences poured from across the world. The copter carrying Gen Rawat and his entourage crashed in apparently foggy conditions, killing the 13 people on board, the Indian Air Force said. Group Captain Varun Singh survived the crash and is being treated at a hospital.
The 63-year-old Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other armed forces personnel died on Wednesday after the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force said.
A 3-day state mourning will be observed in Uttarakhand over the demise of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other personnel who lost their lives in a fatal military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.
According to IAF, 13 out of 14 on-board have died in the incident. IAF Group Captain Varun Singh is the lone survivor with serious injuries.
PM Modi expressed condolences on Bipin Rawat's demise and wrote about Rawat's exponential contribution to the Indian Army as India's first CDS.
General Rawat's condition was earlier said to be critical, but the Indian Air Force later informed that he had succumbed to his injuries. The incident brings to mind several prominent personalities who have perished in air crashes in the past.
CDS chief General Bipin Rawat, wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons who were on board ill-fated IAF chopper Mi-17V5 which crash-landed today in Tamil Nadu have died in the incident. The helicopter crashed in Katteri-Nanchappanchathram area near Coonoor in the hilly Nilgiris district.
According to reports, CDS Rawat was headed to Defence Services Staff College located in Wellington in Udhagamandalam (Ooty). His wife Madhulika Rawat was also on the chopper that crashed.
The chopper's external check was done. It was conducted by pilots and maintenance staff. The chopper was being maintained properly, say sources.
A military chopper crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday in which Indian's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was travelling along with others.
General Bipin Rawat was the first Chief of Defence 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.
Mrs Madhulika Rawat was the President of AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association) and wife of Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat. She worked for the welfare of wives, children and dependents of Army personnel.
General Rawat had survived a helicopter crash some six years ago too. Rawat was in a Cheetah helicopter that crashed in Dimapur, Nagaland on February 3, 2015. He was a lieutenant general at that time.
CDS chief General Bipin Rawat, wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons who were on board ill-fated IAF chopper Mi-17V5 which crash-landed today in Tamil Nadu have died in the incident.
General Bipin Rawat and well-known actor Kabir Bedi graced the Havana Cavalry Gold Cup 2021 Polo Match in Delhi. During the sports event, the actor also launched his book Stories I Must Tell.
On Indo-Pak relations, Rawat said Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism as well as by non-state actors is a stumbling block in the peace process between India and Pakistan.
The official agenda read that the meeting was called for, "Oral evidence of the representatives of Ministry of Defence on subject 'Provisioning, Procurement and issue of High Altitude, Clothing, Equipment, Ration and Housing' based on C&AG Report of 2019."
The United States stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian military, having offered state-of-the-art capabilities, such as the F/A-18, F-15EX, and F-21 fighter aircraft.
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