Washington: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday mourned the demise of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.
Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other armed forces personnel died on Wednesday after the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Air Force said.
“The Secretary General is deeply saddened by the death of General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff of the Indian Armed Forces as well as his spouse and 11 other people in a helicopter crash.
“He expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and to the people and Government of India,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
“As you may recall, General Rawat served the United Nations with distinction and we fully appreciated that work. He was Brigade Commander of the North Kivu Brigade of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Congo (MONUC) in 2008 and 2009,” Dujarric added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also mourned the demise of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu.
“My deep condolences on the deaths of Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat, his wife and colleagues who perished in today’s tragic accident,” Blinken said.
“We’ll remember Gen. Rawat as an exceptional leader who served his country and contributed to the US-India defence relationship,” he said.
Defence Secretary Austin said: “General Rawat left an indelible mark on the course of the US-India defence partnership and was at the center of the Indian Armed Forces’ transformation into a more jointly integrated warfighting organisation”.
Austin said that he had the privilege of meeting with him earlier this year and viewed him as a valued partner and friend of the United States.
“I and the Department extend our deepest condolences to the Rawat family, the Indian military, and the people of India after the tragic passing of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash,” he said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Rawat family and the families of the other victims of the crash. We are deeply saddened by this loss,” Austin added
