It has been a tragic Wednesday as the nation mourned Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash today. Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board the IAF chopper died in the accident in Tamil Nadu.

Appointed as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on December 30, 2019, the first CDS was a veteran of counterinsurgency warfare and served in some of the most difficult terrains of India, including the northern and eastern commands.

He has also been part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and has commanded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He was instrumental in reducing the militancy in the Northeast, with one of the highlights of his career being the 2015 cross-border operation into Myanmar in which the Indian Army successfully responded to an ambush by NSCN-K militants.
The mission was conducted from the operation command of Dimapur-based III Corps under Rawat's supervision. He was also part of the planning for the 2016 surgical strikes, in which the Indian Army went across the Line of Control into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Notably, in 2015, General Rawat miraculously survived a single engine helicopter crash, minutes after it took off from Nagaland.
General Rawat has been a part of many international bilateral visits to places such as Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Russia and the United States.
He is also an honorary General in the Nepalese Army.
During his service, General Rawat has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, and Sena Medal.
Born in Pauri district in the northern state of Uttarakhand, his family had been serving the Indian Army for multiple generations. His father Laxman Singh Rawat served as the Lieutenant General in the army.
The 63-year-old was the alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, where he was awarded the 'Sword of Honour'. He also attended the Command and General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth, USA.
In December 1978, Rawat was commissioned into the Indian Army in the same unit as his father, the fifth battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles.

An academically inclined general, Rawat has authored numerous articles on national security and leadership, which have been published in various journals and publications.

India mourns the demise of its top soldier. (With Inputs)