Tell me about the crash...

Rawat flew from Delhi to the Sulur air base in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday morning. Close to noon, he boarded a Russian Mi-17V5 helicopter—along with eight other passengers and five crew members. Rawat was headed to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington in the Nilgiris to address faculty and students. The helicopter crashed into a heavily wooded area of the Coonoor ghats at around 12:25 pm—barely 10 km from its destination.

The only details: on the actual crash are from a handful of local villagers who saw the chopper go down. One said: “I ran out and saw the chopper climb steeply from the valley below before it clipped a tree and crashed.” Sadly, eyewitnesses also confirmed that some of the occupants were still alive when the helicopter hit the ground: “Mr. Krishnasamy said that he saw people exit from the chopper on fire, screaming for help. ‘As the fire was too large, we couldn’t approach the wreckage.’” You can see the scene below:

The rescue effort: took three hours—and was difficult because of a lack of piped water connections in the area. Locals tried to help with water filled in buckets. Four people were pulled out of the wreckage with critical burn injuries. This included Rawat who later died at Wellington hospital. 

The lone survivor: is Group Captain Varun Singh—who previously had a narrow escape last year, when a light aircraft he was flying experienced a technical failure. But he managed to land—and was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for this “act of exceptional gallantry.”

How did this happen?

The most likely cause: is bad weather. One retired Air Force official told the Indian Express:

“The most likely reason for the crash could be foggy weather which reduced visibility… Looking at the disintegration pattern, it appears, the chopper probably hit a tree trunk or its rotor got entangled in overhead cables.”

Writing in The Hindu, aviation expert Capt A Ranganathan notes:

“The crash near Coonoor indicates the helicopter was flying low, maybe to keep terrain in sight. They have struck trees and crashed. People forget the visual illusions that plague aviation in poor visibility or rain conditions. The compulsion to duck down below clouds, to keep terrain in sight, has often resulted in fatal accidents.”

Point to note: Ranganathan also points out that VVIPs often pressure pilots to fly in poor weather conditions. He cites a number of similar helicopter crashes in the past which variously resulted in the deaths of Andhra Pradesh CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia and others. In each case, the VVIP had insisted on traveling in extremely bad weather. 

About that helicopter: The Mi-17V5 is the latest version of a Russian military transport helicopter—and has an excellent safety record. Point to note:

“It is preferred by several armed forces due to its operability in any geographical and climatic conditions, versatility, and capability to land at unprepared sites. The helicopter reportedly has high target approach accuracy through the use of a satellite navigation system, high safety and landing capabilities.”

Tell me about Rawat…

The basic bio: He was born in 1958 in Uttarakhand into a military family—his father was a three star general. Rawat has had an illustrious career, marked by many achievements—going back to the time he was adjudged best Gentleman Cadet at the military academy. His Army battalion was part of the 11 Gurkha Rifles—and he served at almost every hot spot on the border. This included facing down the Chinese at the Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh to commanding a Rashtriya Rifles unit in Sopore in Kashmir at the height of the militancy. He became Army chief in 2016—and the first ever Chief of Defence Staff in 2019. 

Rawat’s personality: He was known as a “jovial, straight-talking officer”—and his tendency to speak his mind was both his most endearing and exasperating trait. Here’s how the retired Vice Chief of Army describes him:

“He was very open about issues and did not mince his words. Even if they were offensive or they hurt others, he came out with those. Many people got offended by what he used to say. Nonetheless, he was very frank and expressed himself.”

Rawat’s politics: The key problem with Rawat was that he was too “political” for a military man—a criticism even his admirers within the forces acknowledge. And many believe that he was picked as Army chief—over the heads of two officers senior to him—because his politics matched that of the government. The other controversies in his career include:

• Meeting RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, in Nagpur in uniform—saying there is “nothing wrong” in paying respect to elders, which is “part of our traditions.”
• Defending the major who tied a young Kashmiri to his jeep bonnet and used him as a human shield.
• Responding to stone-pelting with this: “I wish these Kashmiri people were firing weapons at us instead of throwing stones. Then I could do what I….”
• Claiming in a seminar that there had been “planned Bangladeshi influx” into the Northeast.
• Instructing the Congress party—as Army chief, no less—not to “lead masses to arson and violence” during the anti-CAA protests.

How will this affect our defence forces?

Rawat did not hold any military command—so there will be no impact on operations. As Lt Gen (retd) HS Panag says, “The army is a layered organisation. Every man is trained to work two ranks up.” 

But it is a huge setback to the project he was tasked with as CDS—the integration and streamlining of the three armed services—which is a challenging and slow process that requires breaking down great resistance within the military. And there is no precedent for appointing his predecessor. As one unnamed government official points out: “The succession line-up in the three services is broadly known but not so in the case of CDS as it’s a new appointment.”

The bottomline: We may never know why the helicopter crashed. As Ranganathan notes—unlike normal airline crashes—tragedies involving government or military VIPs often result in diplomatic cover ups. What matters most, however, is ensuring the military does not lose momentum or morale at a time when there is great pressure on the nation’s borders.

Reading list

• The Hindu has the most details on the crash—while Indian Express has more on weather conditions. The best read: This Hindu op-ed by aviation expert Capt A Ranganathan. 
• Indian Express and Mint have the most details on the helicopter.
• Quint profiles the others who died in the crash.
• Want to know more about Rawat? Indian Express has two positive stories—this tribute from a former general and this profile of his personality and career. Check out The Telegraph on his controversial career and The Wire on his rocky tenure as CDS.
• Hindustan Times lists all the previous military crashes—some of which decimated the military leadership—and the question of succession.
• The Hindu looks at the vacuum at the top created by Rawat’s death.