Himalayan Putra - Gen Bipin Rawat
(16th March, 1958-Dec 8, 2021)
Officer with a decisive mind, Gen Rawat was right man at 'right moment' of history
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(Hailing from little known Sainj village in Pauri Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, Gen Bipin Rawat came from a family of soldiers. His father was Laxman Singh Rawat and had risen to the rank of Lt. General.)
In the beginning of the year 2015, some senior military commanders first met among themselves and later they also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Few weeks later in June that year, Bipin Rawat, then a corps commander and Lt. General, along with his core team worked to finish a highly successful 'response' to an ambush by Naga militants,the NSCN-Khaplang faction beyond India's borders.
This was perhaps the first major 'surgical strike' by Indian forces carried out beyond frontiers. Military historians would certainly call Gen Bipin Rawat, now deceased, the right man with the right job. But importantly, he was at the 'right time' of history. Without a clear unhindered 'green signal' from the higher levels in Delhi - the results could not have been achieved.
A surgical strike 'deep inside' Myanmar and as many as 103 terrorists were neutralised. India suffered zero casualties.
Obviously, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the 'Himalayan putra' Bipin Rawat had arrived. Modi was in power for hardly a year and this move had shaken various stakeholders in the sub-continent.
That's Bipin Rawat - son of a little known Uttarakhand hamlet cradled in the Himalayan ranges. He later became India's army chief and the country's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). His untimely death in a ghastly copter crash on Dec 8, 2021 has left a major vacuum for the Prime Minister and his 'strategic team'. Gen Bipin Rawat's contribution in curbing north east militancy has been immense and creditably, he achieved so without confronting the local politicians.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was a Member of Parliament in 2015, but he had an excellent working relationship with the corps commander at Rangapahar near Dimapur. Rio has been a key political player in Nagaland as Chief Minister since 2003 and thus appreciating Rio's importance did help the Corps commander do his job smoothly. In fact, the major strike against NSCN-K and other militants within five days of June 4, 2015 ambush was vital. The ambush had claimed lives of 18 Dogra Regiment personnel and hence the military counter operation was necessary to boost the morale of the men in camouflage.
Lt Gen Rawat understood the basics that India shares a long land frontier with Myanmar that runs longer than 1600 km. The government of India for decades took scant note of the fact that Myanmar’s so called “isolationist policy” – under the military regime – had only befriended it more to China.
Hence, he also backed closer India-Myanmar ties. Not surprisingly, NSA Ajit Doval was deputed for a two day visit to Myanmar for talks with the authorities. The military junta officials in Myanmar have been suave operatives and quite experts in diplomacy too. All these forced the Manipur-based groups take a backseat and insurgency was 'curtailed' for a considerable period.
Little wonder, within two months of the counter operations, on August 3, 2015, the Modi government could enter into a Framework Agreement with the NSCN (IM).
But from Lt Gen Bipin Rawat's perspective -- the central message to PM Modi was - 'Sir, insurgency can be curbed' in the North East'.
The assertion and Bipin Rawat's exemplary handling of the challenges, later helped him become Indian army's 26th chief superseding two other senior officers. Thus, a strategic thinker that he was and that meant - slightly different from the 'run-of-the-mill' thinking strategist, Rawat became a vital member of Team Modi's security operatives.
He had fantastic working relations with four defence ministers of his time Manohar Parrikar, Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman and Rajnath Singh.
Since Amit Shah became Home Minister in 2019, Gen Rawat reportedly used to interact with him too.
It is not without good reason, now the incumbent Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said -,"As the first Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Rawat prepared plans for jointness of our Armed Forces".
He was also part of the 'select few' planning team that ensured a historical success in the form of post-Uri Surgical Strike in September 2016 across LoC in Pakistan. Later as the CDS, he gave unto himself the task expected of him - the 'reforms' in the country's military set up and strategies.
Maj Gen Ashok Mehta wrote in 'Indian Express' after Rawat's death, - "Enjoying the confidence of Modi and NSA Doval was Rawat's biggest asset as he spearheaded the unprecedented reforms".
A few months in his new role as the CDS, Gen Rawat had submitted a confidential report to the Defence Ministry and the PMO stating how 'unscrupulous' elements both in Kashmir and northeast have been 'manipulative' and had used the issue of militancy/terrorism problem for their own selfish political ends. In Nagaland context, as army chief and later the CDS, he shared the then Nagaland Governor R N Ravi's perspective that 'extortion' was on rise notwithstanding the peace parleys.
To his army force, Gen Rawat would go down the memory lane as 'soldier's officer'. highly decorated officer had also defended Maj. Leetul Gogoi over the 'human shield' episode during a high-risk stone-pelting hit operation in Kashmir.
"It (human shield) is not a general norm. As a practice it is not supported. But situations would dictate. Under the circumstances he (Major Gogoi) took a decision independently. He can't look back at that stage and wait for orders," General Rawat had said.
Given the typical mindset of calling spade a spade, he remained unfazed by the so-called media criticism. Sadly, one Congress politician even had an unpalatable phrase to describe him ---- 'Sadak Ka.......'. But he would remain a much loved 'hero' for the Hmalayan state of Uttarakhand.
His village Sainj in Pauri Garhawal region did not have a proper road, and as a true ear-on-ground son, he had ensured the road could come up.
'Farewell Commander !,Long Live the General.
((‘The sudden demise of Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash is shocking and a great loss for the nation. Under his leadership, the Indian Army set new paradigms of valour." - RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale ))
In 2016-17, controversies were kicked off by the anti-Modi brigade over the so-called 'supersession' of two other senior officers. But, the detractors of the Modi-led dispensation would do well to remember that superseding in army promotions had happened under the Congress regime too.
Lt Gen S K Sinha, who later became Governor of Assam and J&K, was superseded by Gen. A K Vaidya in the 1980s during the Indira Gandhi era. In fact, Sinha even took premature retirement. In December 2016 also, two senior officers Lt Gen Parveen Bakshi and Lt Gen P M Hariz were superseded. These two officers were commissioned in December 1977 and June 1978.
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