Gen Bipin Rawat’s unfortunate death is a huge blow to the armed forces, especially at a time when they are face to face with the PLA troops in the north and Pakistani Army in the west
File photo of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. AP
The death of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, along with his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder and the 10 other officers and bravehearts has been tragic. General Rawat was in the process of carrying out the much-needed transformation of the armed forces to meet the multi-dimensional and collusive threats being faced by the country at levels of conflict. He was a man of vision and was focused on the modernisation of the Services.
Six years ago, General Rawat had a narrow escape near Dimapur in Nagaland when the Cheetah helicopter he was in crashed soon after takeoff. He escaped miraculously that day to subsequently supervise a successful cross-border operation in June 2015 against insurgents belonging to insurgent outfit NSCN-K stationed in Myanmar, in response to the killing of 18 jawans of 6 DOGRA in Chandel district of Manipur.
In September 2016, he took over as the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army. Soon after a major terror strike took place on an army camp in Uri in which 19 soldiers were killed. In response, India conducted a surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC), which marked a big shift in India’s response to cross-border terrorism.
In January 2017, he was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Under his watch, the Indian Army stood up to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Doklam after a tense 72-day standoff; the Chinese forces had to walk back in September 2017. Later on as the Chief in response to the Pulwama incident, he was again part of the apex decision-making body that carried out the surgical strikes in Balakot.
The General, visionary as he was, was always clear that Doklam would not be the end of the Chinese intrusion into India. At an event in Pune in 2017 itself, he had warned of more Doklam-like standoffs, saying they would only “increase in the future”. And he was so right: In early 2020, the Chinese forces were back — this time in eastern Ladakh.
He had an outstanding record of service. He was awarded the Sword of Honour in December 1978 and was commissioned into 5/11 Gorkha Rifles, his father’s battalion, which he subsequently commanded. His father, Lt Gen LS Rawat, was also a distinguished soldier.
General Bipin Rawat commanded 5/11 Gorkha Rifles, and held some of the most coveted and challenging assignments. He was a Platoon Commander and Instructor in the Indian Military Academy in the mid-1980s, and in his four decades-long service, he commanded a Rashtriya Rifles Sector in Jammu and Kashmir as well as a Brigade in the United Nations, commanded 19 Division on the LoC and 3 Corps in Dimapur. He was also the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command. Amongst his staff appointments, he has been a General Staff Officer at the Military Operations Directorate, Colonel Military Secretary and Deputy Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch, the MGGS of Eastern Command and an Instructor in the Army War College.
A distinguished soldier, he was known for his professionalism, vision and integrity. He has been at the forefront of confronting the multiple challenges being faced by the country. Seized by the need to transform to meet the multi-dimensional threats on multiple fronts and collusively between our neighbours and the challenges being posed by emerging niche technologies, he guided the forces through both the COVID-19 pandemic and the clash at the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh.
He had been inducted into the United States Army Command and General Staff College International Hall of fame having attended and excelled in a course there.
CDS Rawat’s focus had been on modernisation, restructuring and rebalancing of the forces, having a de novo look at the capabilities required to meet these threats. In the two years as CDS, the armed forces initiated several reforms, which included, among others, the much-needed organisational restructuring in the forces. It was under his guidance that the hesitancy towards integration and theaterisation could almost be overcome.
He was also a strong votary of “aatmanirbharta” (self-reliance) in defence procurement and technology and had stated that nothing would give the forces greater satisfaction than fighting and coming out victorious in a war with indigenous technology and equipment.
His unfortunate death is a huge blow to the armed forces, especially at a time when the nation is facing accumulating strategic threats from the PLA troops in the north and the Pakistani Army in the west. He was aware of the fact that the domain of national security is increasingly one of growing complexity, increasing sophistication due to the technological developments and we needed to adapt our structures to keep up with the pace of change. The best tribute to him would be to carry forward his legacy by completing what he wanted to achieve as far as modernisation and integration of the armed forces is concerned.
Personally, I never had the privilege to serve under him, but I did meet him both professionally and on social occasions. What always stood out was the warmth with which he always met me. He had the ability to spend time talking to everyone, the last time I met him was on 14 October at the Def-Tech with Maroof Raza, little did I realise at that time that he would soon no longer be amongst us all.
May the souls of General and Mrs Rawat and all those who lost their lives in that fateful helicopter crash rest in peace, and may God grant their families the strength to cope with this terrible tragedy.
The author is an army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
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