On Wednesday, a news, which was hard to believe, shook the country. In an army chopper crash, the country’s first and current Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was died, with 13 others.
The Mi-series chopper was carrying General Rawat's staff and family members when it crashed near Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday.
According to reports, 14 passengers were on board the aircraft, including Bipin Rawat, his wife, the Defence Assistant, security commandos, and IAF pilots. Reportedly, the chopper was heading to the Wellington defence establishment.
The country is immersed in sorrow as it has lost its brave son. CDS Bipin Rawat has left the world at a time when India is facing challenges on many fronts. On one hand, there is tension along the border with China and on the other, Pakistan is looking for an opportunity to create unrest in India. The Taliban has also raised its head in Afghanistan, which will surely impact India's security.
The high commands have ordered a probe in the case as the MI-17 helicopter, in which CDS Rawat was aboard, is counted among the most powerful and reliable helicopters in the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses the same chopper for travelling. In this army helicopter, the chances of a crash because of engine breakdown is nearly zero as it has been equipped with two engines, if the first engine breaks down then the second takes over.
The chopper was flown by one of the safest and reliable pilots of the Indian air force. His expertise and experience are beyond doubt. And in such a situation, the possibility of human error is very less.
Aviation experts and defence analysts have claimed that based on the information available so far, it is believed that bad weather and low visibility could be the reason behind the crash. It may also happen that the helicopter was flying near the ground and because of the weather, the pilot failed to make an exact judgment and the helicopter collided with the trees, instead of landing at the helipad.
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India has lost its first CDS in an unfortunate accident, but behind this brutal truth lays some questions that needed to be answered by the Indian authorities:
1.) How did such a safe and reliable helicopter carrying such an important person crash?
2.) The top officers of the Indian Army travel according to a protocol. It is ensured that the weather is accurate and a helicopter is kept for backup. Before taking off, the helicopter undergoes a technical check. If all this happened then how did the accident happen?
This tragic incident raises a rigid question over the safety of top Generals and soldiers of the country, who keep India safe from external enemies.