Both Houses of Parliament on Thursday paid rich tributes to Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday in Tamil Nadu. He was described as an exceptional military leader who became the first CDS of the country and performed his duties in a distinguished manner.

Members of the Lok Sabha stood in silence as a mark of respect for the departed extraordinary soldier and the others. Later on, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement, saying that an enquiry had been ordered into the incident, which occurred near Coonoor in Nilgiri district, Western Tamil Nadu.

Speaking on the unfortunate happening, Speaker Om Birla paid glowing tributes to the departed souls and described Gen Rawat as a military leader having exceptional qualities, who worked tirelessly to bring about reforms in the security architecture of the country.

As soon as the Rajya Sabha met for the day, Deputy Chairman of the House, Harivansh, informed the members about the tragic happening and read out the obituary of Gen Rawat. who rose to become the CDS on 31 December 2016. Gen Rawat had an illustrious career spanning over four decades during which he held many important positions in the Army,
Harivansh pointed out.

He said, “The loss of precious lives is indeed unfortunate and painful”. Members then stood in silence to pay tributes to the departed souls.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described Gen Rawat as an “outstanding soldier” and a “true patriot”.

In a tweet, Modi said, “Gen Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional. His passing away has saddened me deeply. Om Shanti.”

Gen Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional. His passing away has saddened me deeply. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/YOuQvFT7Et

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 8, 2021