RIP General Bipin Rawat: India's first CDS, Gorkha Regiment officer with surgical strike, Myanmar mission on CV

General Rawat, as India's first Chief of Defence Staff, was the single-point advisor to the government on matters related to the military.

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.

General Bipin Rawat became the first officer of the Indian armed forces to hold the post of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in 2019. The post was newly created as part of the government’s efforts to restructure India’s armed forces to meet present-day challenges.