CDS Bipin Rawat was instrumental in reducing insurgency in the valley and northeast. He played a crucial role in integrating the armed forces.
Abu Dhabi: The UAE on Thursday expressed grief over the demise of India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and the others who died in the tragic accident caused by a chopper crash.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation expressed its profound condolences and sympathy to the Indian government and to the families and relatives of the victims of this great loss, WAM news agency reported.
Earlier, the US Indo-Pacific Command has also expressed sorrow over the passing away of the CDS.
"I am deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of my friend General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and the others who perished," US Admiral John Aquilino, Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
General Rawat, India's first CDS, was on a visit to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course when his chopper crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
General Rawat was appointed as India's first Chief of Defence Staff on December 31, 2019. He previously served as Chief of the Army Staff from January 2017 to December 2019. He was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978.
A veteran of counterinsurgency warfare, CDS Rawat served in the most difficult terrains, including Northern and Eastern commands.
Courtesy: ANI
