NEWS

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat have been confirmed to be among the 13 people who died in the IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu

ABOUT

General Bipin Rawat

• Was born in Uttarakhand in 1958
• Joined National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun
• Graduated from Defence Services Staff College, Wellington
• Was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978
• Was a Four-Star General of the Indian Army and was the first Chief of Defence Staff of India
• Was appointed as the country’s first CDS on December 30, 2019, and had assumed his office from January 1, 2020.
• Served as the 57th and the last Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee as well as the 26th Army Staff Chief of the Indian Army.
• Was a veteran of counterinsurgency warfare and had served in the most difficult terrains of India including the eastern and northern commands.