Bipin Rawat: Helicopter carrying India’s largest public crash in Tamil Nadu

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A military helicopter carrying India’s defense chief Bipin Rawat crashed in a southern state on Wednesday, killing at least four people, according to state radio.

General Rawat and his wife Madulika Rawat were among the 14 people who traveled in the helicopter, but there was no immediate confirmation of the status of the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) or his wife, according to reports.

The Indian Air Force confirmed that he was inside the helicopter and boarded a plane bound for Solor earlier today. The accident occurred in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu state, shortly after the helicopter took off from the army base in Solur.

“An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS General Bipin Rawat on board, had an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An investigation has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the Indian Air Force official wrote on Twitter.

At least four people were reported killed and three others were urgently taken to Coonoor General Hospital, which is located about seven kilometers from the scene.

The general had survived a helicopter crash in 2015 in the northeastern state of Nagaland.

Television footage showed the helicopter on fire as residents tried to put it down. General Rawat is the most senior official in the Indian Army. He is also an advisor at the Ministry of Defense.

He was appointed as India’s first CDS by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in 2019 – a position created with the aim of integrating the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Two defense sources told Reuters they were currently trying to confirm Rawat’s status, and one source said, “We don’t know yet.”

A man who claimed to be an eyewitness told The Quint that he saw the helicopter approaching and it caught fire as it descended.

Prime Minister Modi has called an emergency cabinet meeting and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to address Parliament soon.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has instructed the local administration to provide the best possible medical care to the injured. He is scheduled to visit the neighborhood in the evening.

General Rawat, 63, also served as the commander of the Indian Army.

His assistant in defense, Brigadier Leder and his staff officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Harginder Singh, were among the people on board.

The Mi-17V5 Indian Army helicopter, which crashed today, is used for high-altitude operations and transportation of officials, including the Prime Minister.

The Russian-made military transport version of the Mi-8 is capable of shooting down a tactical air attack force.

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