53 Facts About Bipin Rawat

General Bipin Rawat was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army.

Bipin Rawat served as the first Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in a helicopter crash in December 2021.

Bipin Rawat was commissioned into his father's unit - 11 Gorkha Rifles.

Bipin Rawat served during the 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish in the Sumdorong Chu valley.

Bipin Rawat subsequently served with the United Nations as the Commander of a Multinational Brigade as part of MONUSCO.

Bipin Rawat then served as the Major General General Staff at Headquarters Eastern Command.

In early 2016, Bipin Rawat was promoted to Army Commander grade and appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Command.

Bipin Rawat was born in Pauri town of Pauri Garhwal district, present-day Uttarakhand state, on 16 March 1958 to a Hindu Garhwali Rajput family.

Bipin Rawat's family had been serving in the Indian Army for multiple generations.

Bipin Rawat's mother was from the Uttarkashi district and was the daughter of Kishan Singh Parmar, the ex-Member of the Legislative Assembly from Uttarkashi.

Bipin Rawat was educated at Cambrian Hall school in Dehradun and at the St Edward's School, Shimla.

Bipin Rawat then joined the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, from where he graduated first in the order of merit and was awarded the 'Sword of Honour'.

Bipin Rawat was a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1997.

Bipin Rawat was commissioned into the 5th battalion, the 11 Gorkha Rifles on 16 December 1978, the same unit as his father.

Early in his career, Bipin Rawat had an instructional tenure at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

Bipin Rawat had much experience in high-altitude warfare and spent ten years conducting counter-insurgency operations.

Bipin Rawat commanded a company in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir as a Major.

Bipin Rawat served as a logistics staff officer of a Re-organised Army Plains Infantry Division in Central India.

Bipin Rawat attended the Higher Command Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Bipin Rawat served as Colonel Military Secretary and Deputy Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch and as a Senior Instructor in the Junior Command Wing.

Bipin Rawat was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal for his command of 5 Sector RR.

Whilst simultaneously engaged in offensive kinetic operations against the CNDP and other armed groups, Bipin Rawat carried out tactical support to the Congolese Army, He sensitised programmes with the local population and detailed coordination to ensure that all were informed about the situation and worked together in the progress of operations.

Bipin Rawat was responsible for the protection of the vulnerable population.

Bipin Rawat was tasked to present the Revised Charter of Peace Enforcement to the Special Representatives of the Secretary-General and Force Commanders of all the UN missions in a special conference at Wilton Park, London, on 16 May 2009.

Bipin Rawat subsequently served as the Major General General Staff of the Eastern Command.

Bipin Rawat was accused of nepotism and gratuitously politicising the appointment, by the senior serving and retired military officers.

Bipin Rawat took office of Chief of the Army Staff as the 27th COAS on 31 December 2016, after retirement of General Dalbir Singh Suhag.

Bipin Rawat was the third officer from the Gorkha Brigade to become the Chief of the Army Staff, after Sam Manekshaw and Suhag.

In 2018, Bipin Rawat defended the army Major involved in the Kashmir human shield incident, where a Kashmiri man was tied to a jeep as a human shield.

Bipin Rawat had been criticized by the opposition party leaders for making political statements during the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

On his visit to the United States in 2019, General Bipin Rawat was inducted to the United States Army Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame.

Bipin Rawat was an honorary General of Nepalese Army in accordance with the tradition between the Indian and Nepali armies to confer the honorary rank of General upon each other's chiefs to signify their close and special military ties.

Bipin Rawat served as the 57th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.

Bipin Rawat stated, India had to be "wary about" China, "and remain prepared for situations that could develop into conflicts".

Bipin Rawat said that India did not "see any scope for reconciliation with Pakistan as its military, polity and people have decided that India wants to break their country into pieces".

Bipin Rawat suspected Pakistan could "swing into action to take advantage of India's preoccupation with China".

Bipin Rawat thus highlighted a two-front war situation without offering a solution or remedy.

Until 2019, Bipin Rawat had given statements warning India to be prepared for a simultaneous war on two fronts against China and Pakistan.

In September 2017, during a seminar in Delhi, Bipin Rawat said that "warfare lies within the realm of reality" along India borders with China and Pakistan, even though all the three countries have nuclear arms.

Bipin Rawat served as the first Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in December 2021.

In February 2020, Bipin Rawat said two to five theatre commands may be set up.

Bipin Rawat put emphasis on the 'supremacy and primacy' of the Indian Army over the Air force and Navy, in fighting wars.

In early 2021, Bipin Rawat called the Indian Air Force a "supporting arm" of India's defence network and infrastructure.

On 15 September 2021 while speaking at an event in the capacity of the CDS at the India International Centre in New Delhi, General Bipin Rawat touched upon the theory of clash of civilisations with regards to the western civilisation and China's growing relations with countries like Iran and Turkey.

Bipin Rawat was educated at Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya in Gwalior and graduated in psychology at University of Delhi.

Bipin Rawat became the president of the Defence Wives Welfare Association, upon the creation of the post and the appointment of General Bipin Rawat as the first CDS.

Bipin Rawat worked to make the wives of defence personnel financially independent.

Bipin Rawat was involved with NGOs and welfare associations such as Veer Naris that assists widows of military personnel, differently-abled children and cancer patients.

On Rawat's 65th birth anniversary, the Indian Navy instituted the General Bipin Rawat rolling trophy for the Woman Agniveer Trainee standing First in Overall Order of Merit.

The Navy instituted the General Bipin Rawat Rolling trophy for the Most Spirited Officer undergoing the Naval Higher Command Course at the Naval War College, Goa.

Bipin Rawat was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2001, the Sena Medal in 2005, the Yudh Seva Medal in 2009, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2013, the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal in 2016 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2019.

Bipin Rawat was awarded the COAS Commendation on two occasions and the Army Commander's Commendation.

Bipin Rawat was posthumously honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in the 2022 Republic Day honours list.