CDS Gen Rawat's condition 'grim' after chopper crash

Mandated with the brief to bring about ‘theaterisation’ among India’s military arms, India’s first CDS has been a vocal proponent of ‘jointness and synergy’ among the forces that have become his catchwords besides his demonstrated penchant for futuristic niche technologies, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi: It was on a cold and foggy December morning two years ago that India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) took charge with the prime mandate of effecting Indian military’s biggest reforms in history—that of bringing about theaterisation between the Army, Navy and Air Force.

It was a foggy morning again when the Mi 17-V5 series medium lift helicopter— with tail number ZP 5164 first deployed with the IAF in 2011-12—that Gen Rawat was flying in from Sulur IAF base to the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu, crashed into the hilly terrain killing several on the spot.

There was no official word on Gen Rawat’s condition during the time of filing of this report although he was taken to the military hospital at Wellington and put on ventilation with a very severe medical condition.

The CDS and his entourage of eight including his wife had flown in the morning in a fixed wing aircraft from New Delhi to the Sulur air base, the second biggest IAF air base in the country after Hindon, before taking the ill-fated chopper from Sulur to Wellington.

Wives of military officials of the rank of commander and above are authorized to accompany their husbands in their official tours.

The others in the chopper included two pilots, one engineer, one ground crew and an on-board caterer who usually accompanies such VIP passengers.

The CDS was on his way to deliver a lecture at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington on Wednesday afternoon.

As CDS, Gen Rawat, with four stars and 43 years of military service and still counting, was designated the ‘first among equals’ among the army, navy and IAF chiefs and was gradually easing into his role of being the ‘one-stop window’ for military advice on financial and administrative matters for the three service arms of Indian military besides having a strong proactive opinion on cyber, space and the strategic warfare domains.

Read: IAF chopper crash: All you need to know about Mi-17V5 helicopter

For all his wide mandate and broad sweep of responsibility, Gen Rawat’s role did not endear him to many of his former colleagues in the Army.

Quite of few of both serving and veteran officers may think Gen Rawat could have been more supportive on the one-rank-one-pension (OROP) and the disability criteria issues.

There is also a feeling among many that the General may be outspoken in his views which to their mind often dimmed the lines between military professionalism and the pure political standpoints and positions.

But to be fair to him, the CDS assumed office at a time when the Indian military was at a cusp of dizzying changes including the move towards theaterisation.

At a time when the country’s economy was taking a bad hit, due to the Covid pandemic among other factors, and the ongoing challenges vis-à-vis a belligerent China, Gen Rawat has faced a tough time balancing the modernization and equipment acquisition costs from the scarce funds available.

There is no doubt that Gen Rawat saw some of the most turbulent times in the history of the army in particular and the Indian military establishment in general.

Besides the ongoing confrontation with China, and the 73-day-long Doklam standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2017, it was during his time as Army chief that India made a few surgical and precision strikes across Myanmar and demolishing terrorist infrastructure and launch pads across the Line of Control in Kashmir.

It was also during his time that the government decided to go on the offensive against militants in Kashmir particularly after the unrest that kick-started with the killing of militant poster-boy Burhan Wani.

Gen Rawat’s rapid rise to the Army chief’s post wasn’t exactly a smooth and organic one. He superseded two of his service seniors (the then Eastern Army commander Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi and then Southern Army commander Lieutenant General Pattiarimal Mohamadali Hariz) on December 31, 2016, to lead the 13-lakh-strong army.