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Army base along LAC in Arunachal Pradesh named after Gen Bipin Rawat
The Kibithu military camp, which looks out over Chinese deployments in the Rima-Tatu area across the LAC, was renamed General Bipin Rawat Military Garrison
KIBITHU (ARUNACHAL PRADESH): An army base along the China border in Arunachal Pradesh and a key road that supports military movement near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) was on Saturday named after India’s first chief of defence staff, the late General Bipin Rawat, in recognition of his service and his old connection with the northeastern state.
The Kibithu military camp, which looks out over Chinese deployments in the Rima-Tatu area across the LAC, was renamed General Bipin Rawat Military Garrison, as was the 22km road stretch linking this base to Walong where outnumbered and outgunned Indian soldiers halted the Chinese war machine in the 1962 war.
Those who attended the renaming ceremony included Arunachal Pradesh governor Brigadier BD Mishra (retd), chief minister Pema Khandu, military adviser to the National Security Council Secretariat Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan, Eastern Army commander Lieutenant General Rana Pratap Kalita, 3 Corps commander Lieutenant General RC Tiwari, and Rawat’s younger daughter, Tarini. Khandu pledged ₹10 crore to give the garrison a facelift, and transform it into “one of the best forward army bases in the country.”
As a colonel, Rawat commanded his battalion - 5/11 Gorkha Rifles - at Kibithu in 1999-2000. He was known to fondly recall his tenure as the commanding officer in Kibithu, his other postings in the northeast, and believed that the region and its people held tremendous potential. Mishra and Khandu spoke at length about the special place the northeast held in the general’s heart.
In his address, the governor even recalled how the late CDS stepped in to help the state two years ago when it was struggling to repay dues amounting to over ₹320 crore to the Indian Air Force for the use of its assets. Hundreds of locals from Kibithu and Walong turned up the ceremony and broke into a spontaneous applause when the dignitaries recalled Rawat’s contribution to the northeast.
“General Rawat’s contribution towards strengthening the security of the North-east is noteworthy. His vision and foresight were instrumental in implementing several infrastructure projects and social development in the area,” an official said, asking not to be named.
It was in this sector that an Indian infantry brigade was pitched against five infantry and two artillery brigades of the Chinese in the 1962 war. An inscription at the Walong war memorial reads, “Own troops caused crippling losses on the invading Chinese. Mule trains carrying Chinese casualties stretched between Namti and Kraoti.”
The General Rawat army base is not too far from the stunning Namti plains that the Chinese called the Tiger’s Mouth because of the heavy losses they suffered there 60 years ago in the Battle of Walong, considered to be one of the few glorious chapters for India in the 1962 war.
An imposing gate built in local traditional style at the entrance of the garrison bears Rawat’s name.
Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 12 others were killed in a helicopter crash in December 2021 in Tamil Nadu.
On the eve of Rawat’s birthday in March 2022, the army dedicated a chair of excellence in his memory at the United Service Institution of India (USI) --- the country’s oldest think tank founded in 1870.
The aim of the Chair is to conduct research on strategic issues, and this year’s topic is Jointness and Integration in the Context of Land Warfare in India.
At the time of his death, Rawat was spearheading the military’s theaterisation drive to enhance the effectiveness of the armed forces and reshape the conduct of future operations. Rawat took over as CDS on December 31, 2019, after serving as army chief for a full three-year term. He held the four-star rank for almost five years, making him the longest serving four-star general in India.
The government is yet to appoint his successor. His demise was seen as a setback to the ongoing military reforms.
Rawat was posthumously awarded Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian honour, in March 2022.
