Candle light tributes to Gen. Rawat surge across Kashmir

 

Even at Baramulla and the border town of Uri, where he served with an unparalleled liaison with the people, candle light tributes were paid to Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Bipin Rawat, who died along with his wife and 11 others of his staff and crew in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Known as ‘People’s General’ during his tenures in northern Kashmir’s Uri, Sopore and Baramulla, Gen. Rawat had a very special bond with the people in Valley, particularly those of the district headquarters of Baramulla where he headed a garrison 10 years ago. This bondage, which passed as a legacy through many decorated Army officers like Gen. JJ Singh, who later on became Army chief, made the General Officer Commanding (GoC) of Srinagar based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen. DP Pandey to attend a special remembrance ceremony for Gen. Rawat at Baramulla on Thursday.

While paying rich tributes to India’s first CDS, who had served in Baramulla as a Company Commander in Uri, Brigade Commander of 5 Sector of Rashtriya Rifles at Watlab Sopore and Major General of Dagger Division at Baramulla, Gen. Pandey said that the people of Baramulla had lost more than anyone else in Gen. Rawat’s tragic death. It would take a long time, he said, to come out of this grief.

“I do not think I have seen the amount of love and connect which Gen. Rawat had with the people of Uri and Baramulla and with the people of the rest of Kashmir. If you see the DP (display picture) of the local people, particularly the mediapersons, on their social accounts today, I think everyone has it,” Gen Pandey said while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a solemn ceremony organized by the Army at Sherwani Hall.

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People from all walks of life gathered at the hall, constructed to memorialise Maqbool Sherwani of Baramulla, who was killed by the Pakistani tribal raiders for helping the Indian troops in 1947, to pay their tributes to Gen. Rawat. Gen. Pandey recollected how during his tenure in Baramulla district, Gen. Rawat used to attend phone calls from the residents and always fulfill their demands and requirements.