LATE CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (CDS) GENERAL BIPIN RAWAT WAS A TRUE FRIEND OF NEPAL

In the photo, late Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat is seen presenting a memento to the erstwhile Nepal Army chief General Purna Chandra Thapa in New Delhi, India. 

 

By LB THAPA, a special report

Indian army chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat is no more with us. Though he was an Indian army chief, his connection with Nepal and Gurkhas was deep-rooted. First to begin with General Bipin Rawat had become the Vice Chief of Army Staff before becoming the fourth officer from the Gurkha Brigade to come to the COAS. 

Let’s not forget that General Bipin Rawat was also an honorary Chief of the Army Staff of Nepal Army. General Rawat was very close to the Gurkha Brigade. He would never miss any opportunities to attend Gurkha’s traditional celebrations. In recent times many of you might have watched a viral video post on YOUTUBE where General Rawat is seen dancing with the Gurkhas. 

In such a tragic chopper accident, we Nepalese have also lost a true friend of Nepal. General Rawat had been committed to providing every possible assistance to Nepal Army and he had done it on several occasions as well. 

General Rawat had visited Nepal to attend Nepal Army Day in 2018. Perhaps very few people know the fact that General Rawat could speak the Nepali language fluently. His several years of attachment with the Gurkha Brigade enabled him to learn the Nepali language and its culture. 

General Rawat had come from a family whose members served the Indian Army for generations. His father himself was a veteran Indian Army officer. Laxman Singh Rawat, the father of General Bipin Rawat, was from Sainj village, Pauri Garhwal district who rose to the rank of Lt. General in the Indian Army. 

General Rawat had studied at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA). He was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978. Interestingly enough he had also joined the same unit which his father had joined, the fifth battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles. 

There are many shiny feathers on his cap but some of his major successes have proved he was a man of steel and unwavering courage. 

He had played a key role to neutralize militancy in the Northeast areas. His military action against the NSCN-K militants across the border area of Myanmar was highly successful. Under General Rawat’s strategic plan, India had launched the most daring surgical strikes on Balakot in Pakistan. Many people took it as an act of revenge against the Pulwama killings. Without any doubt, General Rawat was the key figure behind the entire military operation. 

General Rawat’s stand against China was also very strong. His command at the Line of Actual Control over the eastern and western sectors was bold and commendable. It was his battalion in 1987 which came face to face with the Chinese army. Years later in 2016 Indian army did also face a similar situation under General Rawat’s command and control at Doklam. 

General Rawat’s armed strategy and diplomatic meetings finally forced the Chinese army to back off. General Rawat’s role is quite obvious during the continuing standoff in eastern Ladakh. His vast military experience and prudent decisions brought India to victory on the borderline and also on the diplomatic fronts. 

In the end, I should say that if India has lost her General then Nepal has also lost a true friend and a well-wisher of Nepal.

LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based freelance writer and author. Mr. Thapa has already worked as a war reporter on many occasions in Nepal, India, and Lebanon.   

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