Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 11 others have been confirmed dead after a chopper carrying them crashed in Tamil Nadu earlier today. The Air Force issued the official confirmation on Tuesday evening. 

With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021

Gp Capt Varun Singh SC, Directing Staff at DSSC with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021

Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiri Hills) to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course today. The chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, crashed at 12.20 P.M in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu.

Search and rescue operations ensued, and as SabrangIndia reported earlier today, at first there was news of five deaths and two injured people being taken to hospital as authorities continued to look for others on board the chopper.

The chopper crashed shortly after it took off from an Air Force base in Sulur near Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, and was heading to Wellington in Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty, where a Defence Services Staff College is located. The defence establishment reportedly learnt of the incident from villagers in nearby Katteri who informed the district administration.

Condolences have started pouring in for the CDS. 

“General Rawat had served the country with exceptional courage and diligence. As the first Chief of Defence Staff he had prepared plans for jointness of our Armed Forces,” said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, condoling his sudden demise.

Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu.

His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our Armed Forces and the country.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 8, 2021

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Official details of the condition of the passengers aboard the Air Force chopper carrying Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, that crashed at 12.20 P.M in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, are still awaited. However it is confirmed that apart from the CDS, his wife, and several of his staff members, including his Defence Assistant, security commandos and other Air Force personnel were on board. According to multiple news reports, 14 people – five crew and nine passengers – were on board the Air Force’s Mi-17V5 helicopter. 

Five people have reportedly died, two survivors have been taken to the military hospital at the Wellingdon base and were reportedly critical, and search operations continue to look for the other seven. According to news reports, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and was briefing the Parliament as well. General Bipin Rawat, 63, is India’s first Chief of Defence Staff and took charge in January 2019; he also heads the Department of Military Affairs. 

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin shared that he has “instructed the local administration to provide all the help needed in rescue operations” and was also “rushing to the spot.”

I am deeply shocked & disheartened on hearing the army chopper with CDS General Bipin Rawat and 13 others has met with an accident near Coonoor.

I’ve instructed the local administration to provide all the help needed in rescue operations even as I’m rushing to the spot.

— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) December 8, 2021

According to news reports, the chopper crashed shortly after it took off this morning from an Air Force base in Sulur near Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, and was heading to Wellington in Udhagamandalam, also known as Ooty, where a Defence Services Staff College is located. The defence establishment reportedly learnt of the incident from villagers in nearby Katteri who informed the district administration.

Visuals shared over social media showed the crashed chopper, parts of which had caught fire. Those rescued have sustained severe burn injuries. The Air Force, also announced that an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021

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NEW DELHI: Retired, former Navy Chief Admiral L Ramdas on Thursday termed as “wrong” Army Chief Gen.Bipin Rawat’s remarks criticising the the nationwide protests over the new citizenship law, saying people in the armed forces must follow the decades-old principle of serving the country and not any political forces.

Admiral L Ramdas elaborated and said all the three services have an internal code prescribing that they must be neutral and not partisan, adding that these rules have been the bedrock of the armed forces for decades. Ramdas also said all the three services have an internal code prescribing that they must be neutral and not partisan, adding that these rules have been the bedrock of the armed forces for decades.

“The rule is very clear that we are serving the country and not the political forces and to express any political views as we have heard today are quite a wrong thing for any serving personnel whether he is the top gun or at the bottom rank. It is not proper,” Ramdas told PTI.

This was soon after Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Thursday, December 26, commented upon  people leading violent protests over the new citizenship law, saying leadership is not about guiding masses including students to carry out arson and violence, remarks that drew sharp reactions from opposition leaders.

“Leaders are not those who lead people in inappropriate directions, as we are witnessing in a large number of university and college students, the way they are leading masses of crowds to carry out arson and violence in our cities and towns. This is not leadership,” the Army Chief said at a health summit. He further said, “A leader is one person who leads you in the correct direction. Gives you the right advice and then ensures that you care for the people you lead.”

Gen Rawat, who is due to retire on December 31 as Army Chief, is tipped to be India’s first Chief of Defence Staff who will be the single-point military adviser to the government on tri-services matters. On several occasions during his three-year tenure as Army Chief, he has faced allegations of not remaining politically neutral.

Ironically, Section 21 of the Army Act prohibits any Army personnel to attend or address any meeting or to take part in any demonstration organised by anybody for any political or other purposes. It also bars them from communicating to press or to publish any book relating to political question.

“We have an internal code which we must follow. It prescribes that we should be neutral and we should not be partisan. And that is how we have been looked at all along these years,” said Ramdas.

April 2019

Ramdas has been a spokesperson for sanity and peace on the cub-continent as well as for probity in public life. In April 2019, he had sharply spoken up and said he would approach the Election Commission when UP chief minister had made his crass and controversial remark calling the illustrious Indian army “ Modiji ki Sena.”

February 2019

Earlier, in a passionately penned letter to President Ramnath Kovind, in the aftermath of the Pulwama massacre, Admiral Ramdas, former chief of the Indian Navy has urged restraint and sagacity in dealing with the aftermath.  Recognising that there is anger after the loss of over ‘forty precious lives’ of the jawans,  he has deplored the attacks on innocent Kashmiris all over India. In the strongest terms he has condemned the war hysteria being whipped up by television channels especially the ‘war hysteria’ against Kashmiris our own people.

Admiral Ramdas said the armed forces do not belong to any individual, and claimed that veterans and those in service were upset with the UP Chief Minister’s comment. He considered it his duty to bring it to the notice that “we, the armed forces of the country, owe our allegiance only to the constitution.”

Bipin Rawat

Rawat’s comments also evoked sharp responses from political leaders.

“I agree with him. Yes, leaders should lead (people) in the appropriate direction. I am absolutely sure, he has the prime minister of this country in mind when talking about that,” said Swaraj India leader and rights activist Yogendra Yadav. He said Gen Rawat’s comments on politics is a sharp departure from the convention of the Indian Army in the last 70 years.

“This used to happen in Pakistan and Bangladesh.”Congress Spokesperson Brijesh Kalappa too slammed Gen Rawat for his remarks.”Army Chief Bipin Rawat speaking against #CAAProtests is wholly against constitutional democracy.

If Army Chief is allowed to speak on political issues today, it also permits him to attempt an Army takeover tomorrow!!,” he tweeted. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said leadership is about knowing the limits of one’s office.

“It is about understanding the idea of civilian supremacy and preserving the integrity of the institution that you head,” he said. Congress leader Digvijay Singh also tweeted, “‘Leaders Not Those Who Lead Masses In Arson’: Army Chief On Citizenship Protests.

I agree General Saheb but also Leaders are not those who allow their followers to indulge in genocide of communal violence. Do you agree with me General Saheb?” CPIM leader Sitaram Yechuri also slammed Gen Rawat for his comments.

“Army Chief’s statement underlines as to how the situation has degenerated under the Modi government where the highest officer in uniform can so brazenly breach the limits of his institutional role,” he said.

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