Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, was a regular visitor to Bengaluru to take part in defence-related events, including the biennial Bengaluru air show Aero India. He also visited Kodagu many times and highlighted the service of Kodavas in Forces.
He visited two editions of the premier air event as the Chief of Army Staff, in 2017 and 2019. He was back in Bengaluru when the truncated premier event was held early this year as the Chief of Defence Staff. “He was deeply seeped into the military affairs and showed his keenness to participate in such events,” a defence source said.
Among his last events in Bengaluru was the Indian Air Force conclave “Synergised Objectives”, organised to mark 50 years of India’s victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war on October 22 during which he had indicated that the contours of the theatre command was ready. In his speech, he had warned of the Chinese threat due to the advancement in cyber and space domain, and had pitched to incorporate AI, robotics, cyber, and electronic warfare.
Remembering Cariappa
When Gen. Bipin Rawat was the Chief of Army Staff, he visited Gonikoppa in Kodagu in November 2017 to unveil the bronze statues of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa and General K.S. Thimayya.
At the function, he recalled that Kodagu has served the country with distinction by sending a large number of youth to join the army. He remarked that the sacrifices of people of Kodagu will always be remembered by the Indian Army.
He had also pitched for Bharat Ratna for Field Marshal Cariappa and announced support to convert Sunny Side, the residence of Gen. Thimayya, into a museum. Locals aver that the support of Gen. Bipin Rawat to the establishment of the museum was immense and credit him for some of the vintage weapons that are on display at the museum. He visited Madikeri as the Chief of Defence Staff in February this year along with President Ram Nath Kovind in connection with the inauguration of the museum.