Amid the sudden demise of Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat in a military helicopter crash, the government is contemplating the appointment of a new CDS in the coming days.
Top sources said the post of Chief of Defense Staff would be filled in the next seven to ten days. As per rules any Commanding Officer or Flag Officer of Armed Forces are eligible for this post.
General Rawat took charge as the country’s first CDS in January 2020. Generally, the upper age limit for CDS has been fixed at 65 years. PM Modi in his Independence Day address in 2019 had announced the appointment of a CDS who would be above the three chiefs.
Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will make a statement on Thursday in the Lok Sabha at around 11:15 am and in the Rajya Sabha at around 12 noon. General Rawat’s body will be brought from Tamil Nadu to New Delhi on Thursday. The last rites will be held in New Delhi tomorrow.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by the Prime Minister was today briefed about the accident in which General Bipin Rawat was killed in Tamil Nadu. Official sources said that apart from PM Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also attended the meeting.
In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Modi expressed his condolences and said that he is deeply saddened by the helicopter crash. “General Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he contributed immensely in the modernization of our armed forces and security apparatus. His insight and outlook on strategic matters were exceptional. I am deeply saddened by his death. Om Shanti,” he said in a tweet.
CDS was on his way to Defense Staff College in Wellington when the helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Air Force (IAF) said that a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident.
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