Bipin Rawat: India’s most senior general killed in helicopter crash, military confirms

Indian air force says the joint military chief of defence staff Bipin Rawat and his wife are among 13 dead in incident.

General Bipin Rawat and his wife, Madhulika Rawat, were among 14 people travelling in the chopper when it came down shortly after leaving the army base in Sulur.

On Wednesday evening, the air force confirmed in a statement that Gen Rawat and his wife both died, and that there was only a single survivor from the crash.

The news has sent shockwaves through India, with the 63-year-old general a well-known figure after he was named India’s first chief of defence staff (CDS) in 2019, a role designed to provide oversight of the army, navy and air force combined.

“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the air force said in its statement.

Earlier, it said that the crash involved an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, and that “an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident”.

People gather outside General Bipin Rawat’s residence in New Delhi.

Indian army chief Bipin Rawat speaks during a 2018 press conference in Delhi