The Indian Army’s much-venerated general shared a strong bond with Shahdol, in Madhya Pradesh. He got married to Madhulika, the daughter of late Kunwar Mrigendra Singh of Sohagpur Garhi in the Shahdol district, back in 1986 when he was still a captain in the army.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, who lost his life in service to India after meeting with a tragic air accident on Wednesday, had been an army man to the core – dedicated to serving the nation till the very end. Talking to the PTI news agency, Rawat’s brother-in-law Yashwardhan Singh recalled how the four-star general had promised to visit his wife’s ancestral home at Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol in January next year and set up a ‘sainik school’ in the district to help underprivileged students prepare themselves to be inducted to the armed forces.
The Indian Army’s much-venerated general shared a strong bond with Shahdol. He got married to Madhulika, the daughter of late Kunwar Mrigendra Singh of Sohagpur Garhi in the Shahdol district, back in 1986 when he was still a captain in the army.
On Wednesday, Madhulika also happened to be in the Mi-17V5 military helicopter that crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Air Force (IAF) later confirmed that she, along with her husband and 11 other armed forces personnel, had died in the accident. The sole survivor from the chopper crash a day prior is group captain Varun Singh, presently fighting for his life at a military hospital in Wellington
Speaking to PTI regarding the incident, Madhulika Rawat’s brother Yashwardhan Singh said that he received information about the chopper crash on the phone. While in Bhopal at the time, he later rushed to Delhi in a special flight arranged by the Indian Army.
“My mother, who is quite old and is in Shahdol, will also leave for Delhi late at night along with the army officials from Jabalpur,” Singh said. “So far, she is not aware of this tragic incident and a close relative will soon reach our ancestral home to tell her about the crash. The officials are reaching Shahdol to accompany her.”
General Bipin Laxman Singh Rawat’s brother-in-law also looked back to 2012 when the army man made his last visit to Shahdol.
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“I met him for the last time on the occasion of Dusshera festival recently in Delhi, when my daughter Bandhvi, returned from Peru, South America after taking part in the world shooting championship,” said Yashwardhan Singh, General Rawat’s brother-in-law, to PTI. “At that time, he had promised us that he would visit Shahdol positively in January 2022 and also assured to provide a sainik school in the district as it has a sizable number of tribal population.”
Singh added, “He [General Rawat] had asked me to discuss the matter with the local MP and ministers so that it can be worked out.”
Madhulika Rawat’s family currently lives in the ancestral residence ‘Rajabagh’ in the Shahdol district headquarter. The Rawat couple is survived by two daughters, one of who lives in Mumbai, and the other one lived with them.
