DNA Special: India loses Chief of Defence Staff in crash, what is the lesson learnt?

India has lost its first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu today. General Bipin Rawat was not a small man, he was the Chief of Defence Staff of the world's fourth-largest army, at whose behest, 14 lakh soldiers had the courage to enter the enemy's territory and teach a lesson. He was a very decorated and brave soldier and had a huge responsibility to modernize the Indian Army and integrate the three parts of the army. In today's analysis, there is also mourning for his death and there is also anger at our helplessness. Anger that despite being the world's largest military superpower, we could not make our biggest general travel 50 km safely in a military helicopter, despite modern helicopters like the Mi17V5. We could not prevent this accident.

We explain to you in four points what is the meaning of General Bipin Rawat's death for India.

- India will greatly miss his four decades-long military experience. General Bipin Rawat knew Pakistan's weaknesses on the LoC, understood China's weaknesses on the LAC and had a very different and aggressive military strategy for neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal. Therefore, the enemy countries will be very happy somewhere or the other with his death.

- General Bipin Rawat's death comes at a time when India is facing a standoff with Pakistan and China on both the LoC and LAC. In such a situation, his death can also affect the standoff with neighbouring countries to some extent.

- As a CDS, he was preparing strategies by balancing the three forces. Now after him, the country will face the challenge of appointing a new CDS, who can take the three armies along.

- And his death has created a wrong image of India at the international level. This has sent a message to the world that the country which has the fourth most powerful army in the world, that country could not save only its biggest general.

The helicopter in which General Bipin Rawat was aboard is not an old generation helicopter. To date, 60 countries of the world are using more than 12,000 helicopters of this series. Among them are countries like China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, because it is counted among the most advanced helicopters in the world.

Flying at a maximum speed of 250 km per hour, this helicopter can operate in difficult conditions and even in bad weather. It does not require a helipad for landing. It can land easily in rough places and can also provide assistance there. It is used for transportation, rescue operation, search operation and VVIP movement. Besides three crew members, 36 people can sit in it at a time. Apart from this, this helicopter can lift a maximum weight of 13 thousand kilograms.

Overall, this helicopter is so modern that it can be used without a second thought. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also uses this helicopter for domestic flights. Apart from this, this helicopter is also used for VVIP movement in the army. India currently has 150 helicopters of Mi series manufactured by Russia and this helicopter is not very old. India has got all these helicopters from 2011 to 2018. But it is a matter of great disgrace it is that the first CDS in the history of India dies in his own helicopter.

When a passenger plane crashes in any country, there is an immediate investigation of technical flaws in that aircraft and in many cases, the use of passenger aircraft of that series is also banned until the investigation is done. Like in the year 2018, two passenger planes of the Boeing 737 Max series had crashed, after which most countries including India had banned their use. For about a year and a half, these aircraft were standing on the runway. But this process is not adopted in the army. For example, 482 out of 872 MiG series aircraft crashes in India till the year 2012. That is, with more than half the time crashed. But despite this, these aircraft were used for many decades.

That's why we say time and again that life is very uncertain, no one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. General Bipin Rawat was the highest rank in the army. He was leading more than 14.5 lakh soldiers of the three armies, that is, he was a very powerful person. The helicopter he was in is one of the safest helicopters in the world, the pilot who was flying it was one of the most experienced pilots. But when death comes, it pierces all the security chakras, destiny does not see how powerful a person is, what position he is in. Or how lakhs of soldiers can kill the enemy by entering its territory at his behest. Death comes in a moment and changes everything in a moment.

But here, we definitely want to say that this accident should be properly investigated because if it happened due to someone's negligence, it is shameful. Because if in a country like India, the life of its Chief of Defence Staff can be lost due to negligence, imagine what will happen to the security of the people of the country. Death cannot be avoided, but negligence can certainly be stopped and those who are negligent can be punished for it.