General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff and who had a vast experience across a wide spectrum of conflict and terrain profiles, was among the 13 people killed on Wednesday when the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed in a hilly area in apparently foggy conditions near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today informed Parliament about the demise of Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence officials in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu. Addressing the Lok Sabha, Singh said the CDS was on a scheduled visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, to interact with the student Officers.