India Narrative

  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 Sect

  An air force helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others on board crashed today in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force has confirmed.  Five charred bodies have been recovered from the crash site crash while four persons have been taken to hospital with severe burn injuries. Further details are not known so far. General Rawat's wife, his Defence Assistant, security commandos and Indian Air Force personnel were reportedly among the 14 on board. The Indian Air Force confirmed in a tweet that the Chief of Defence Staff was on the flight. He had taken a flight from Delhi to Sulur earlier today and that flight manifest had listed nine people. "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." The crash took place in the Nilgiris shortly after the Mi-series chopper took off from the army base at Sulur in Coimbatore. Al