The nation on Thursday paid tributes to India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) late General Bipin Rawat on the occasion of his first death anniversary. General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other military personnel were killed in a helicopter crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on December 8.
As the first CDS, he was spearheading an initiative to bring convergence in the functioning of the Army, the Navy and the Indian Air Force and bolster the country's overall military prowess. Paying tributes to him National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said “General Bipin Rawat's demise is a personal loss for the nation. I had a personal equation with him. His focus was always Indian Army and how the nation will shape in future.”
“In 2017 when we had tough situation with Chinese. We used to plan and discuss. General Bipin Rawat was resolute. When we said we won't step back and we're going to stay put and make Chinese retreat, they did it after 74-75 days of tough time,” Doval said.