General Bipin Rawat's 4th Death Anniversary: Here's Everything You Need To Know About India's First CDS & Visionary Indian Military Officer

Delhi: General Bipin Rawat was a visionary Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army. He served as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in a helicopter crash in December 2021. The legendary military officer unified India's armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) and modernised defense, serving with distinction for over 40 years. Before taking over as the CDS, he served as the 57th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC) of the Indian Armed Forces as well as the 26th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army. Today, on his death anniversary, let us take a moment to reflect on his contributions to the Indian Armed Forces and his legacy.

CM Yogi Adityanath pays tribute

A series of tributes poured in on X with the nation paying tribute to General Bipin Rawat on his DEATH anniversary. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh took to X and tweeted saying, "On the death anniversary of the country's first CDS, 'Padma Vibhushan' General Bipin Rawat, heartfelt tribute to him. For your contributions towards strengthening India's defense and military modernisation, this nation will remain eternally grateful."

Early age

General Bipin Rawat, a respected military leader, was born on March 15, 1958, in Pauri Garhwal, a small town in Uttarakhand. General Rawat's father, Laxman Singh Rawat, was a retired Lt. General in the Indian Army, and his mother was a homemaker. From an early age, he was inspired by his father's dedication to serving the country, and he decided to follow in his footsteps. He attended the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and was commissioned into the 5th Battalion of the 11th Gorkha Rifles in December 1978.

Service in the Indian Army

Over the course of his illustrious career, General Rawat held a variety of important positions in the Indian Army. He served as the Vice Chief of Army Staff, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Command, and General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command. He was also a part of several important military operations, including Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka and Operation Maitri in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Key Operations and contributions

General Bipin Rawat played a significant role in various military operations, including the 2015 cross-border operation in Myanmar. Here are some of the major operations conducted under his leadership:

What was Operation Hot Pursuit?

The Indian military conducted a cross-border strike named Operation Hot Pursuit on June 9, 2015. The operation was a covert Indian Army cross-border surgical strike in Myanmar. In this operation, the Indian army targeted camps of the NSCN-K insurgent group. The Hot Pursuit Operation came into existence after militants from the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) and other allied groups ambushed an Indian Army convoy in the Chandel district of Manipur, killing 18 soldiers on June 4, 2015. General Bipin Rawat was the key figure in the operation who was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of India's III Corps at Dimapur. During that time, General Bipin Rawat was in charge of the units that carried out the successful operation, which involved special forces crossing the border to neutralise terrorists.

What was the URI Surgical Strike?

The 2016 surgical strike, also known as the URI Surgical Strike, was carried out by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was a retaliation against a terrorist attack on an Indian Army brigade headquarters in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, on September 18, 2016. During the operation, General Bipin Rawat was the Vice Chief of the Army Staff, a top-level commander who monitored and helped in planning the entire operation and he also helped to destroy terrorist launch pads in the PoK region.

2017 Doklam standoff

The 2017 Doklam standoff was a 73-military face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the small village of Doklam. The confrontation occurred when the Chinese military attempted to build a road in territory claimed by Bhutan, which India supported. Doklam is a high-altitude plateau at the tri-junction border of India, Bhutan and China. General Bipin Rawat, then Chief of Army Staff, played a crucial role in the standoff, and he ensured Indian troops held their ground against Chinese incursions.

Balakot airstrike

The Balakot airstrike was the operation conducted by Indian warplanes on February 26, 2019, in Balakot, Pakistan, against an alleged training camp of the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed. General Bipin Rawat was the Army Chief then, who oversaw the aftermath and response to the IAF's airstrike following the Pulwama attack.

General Bipin Rawat: The Indian military visionary

A visionary military officer from the Gorkha regiment had a fundamental goal of ending the separate service operations, only with the aim to foster a purple approach, which means mixing the three service colours, where the Army, Navy, and Air Force fight as one integrated force, which is essential for modern warfare.