Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff, dies in chopper crash in Tamil Nadu

General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, has died after an Indian Air Force helicopter he was on board with 13 others crashed in Conoor in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris district on Wednesday. He was 63. 

In a tweet, the Indian Air Force confirmed that the General, his wife Madhulika and 11 other passengers on board the helicopter have died. “Group Captain Varun Singh SC, Directing Staff at DSSC with injuries is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington,” IAF tweeted. 

The mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife along with other Armed Forces personnel killed in the crash are expected to arrive in Delhi by tomorrow evening, ANI reported.

The Russian-made Mi-17V5 helicopter was flying from the airbase in Sulur, near Coimbatore, to the Defence Staff College (DSC) in Wellington, where General Rawat, along with Chief of Army Staff MM Naravane, was slated to address the faculty and student officers. 

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The helicopter was on its descent and would have landed in another 10 minutes, AFP reported. The crash was first reported at around 12:20 pm.

The crash reportedly happened due to low visibility in foggy conditions. An IAF Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.

“An IAF Mi-17 V5 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 IAF said in a tweet. 

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Earlier on Wednesday, General Rawat had taken a flight from Delhi to Sulur with nine people on board. Five others joined the flight from Sulur. 

Visuals from the accident site showed mangled metal and broken logs engulfed in flames and billowing smoke. Rescue workers used buckets and water hose to douse the fire and pulled charred bodied from the wreckage. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed about the crash by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Singh also visited General Rawat’s house and spoke to his daughter. CAS Naravane also visited his house, while the Air Force chief was asked to visit the crash site. 

General Rawat took charge as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff in January, 2019. The position was created with the aim of integrating all three arms of the defence forces – the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.