NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, DEC 10
Chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘General Rawat amar rahe’ reverberated in the air as gun carriage decked up with flowers carried a casket wrapped in a tricolour left 3 Kamraj Marg for Barar Square.
Courtesy: Doordharshan
A huge crowd of people lined up on both sides of the dedicated road route to bid final goodbye to the top Army General. Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was cremated with full military honours on Friday, two days after the tragic helicopter crash that killed 12 others, including his wife Madhulika Rawat.
The General was given a 17-gun salute as both his daughters Kritika and Tarini lit the pyre of their parents.
Along with about 800 service personnel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Chief Ministers Pushkar Singh Dhami and Arvind Kejriwal, DRDO chief Dr G Satheesh, General Rawat’s family members and Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain and British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis were also in attendance for the military funeral of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff.
Commissioned into the fifth battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles on December 16, 1978, General Rawat took charge as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on January 1, 2020, and held it till his death on December 8, 2021. He was the brain behind the surgical strike against Pakistan in 2016 when Indian forces went across the LoC into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He also challenged China’s transgression and believed that military option was available if talks fail to fructify between India and China.
Also Read:
PM Modi, Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, chiefs of 3 forces pay tribute to CDS Gen Rawat
General Rawat also specialised in high-altitude warfare and counter-insurgency operations. He had also served in some of the most difficult terrains, including the eastern and northern commands.
During his illustrious career, General Rawat has been conferred several presidential awards which include the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM), Uttam Yudh Seva Medal (UYSM), Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), Yudh Seva Medal (YSM), Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM) and aide-de-camp (ADC).
