The Government of India has appointed retired Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan as the second Chief of Defense Staff, nine months after the death of the first Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, in a helicopter crash.
According to the British news agency Reuters, in a statement issued by the Government of India, it was said that General Retired Anil Chauhan will also serve as Secretary of the Department of Military Affairs after assuming the post.
Earlier in December 2021, 13 people including India’s first Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat were killed in a helicopter crash.
Significantly, 61-year-old Lt Gen Anil Chauhan was the head of the all-important Eastern Command before his retirement in May 2021. General Anil Chauhan has assumed his post today, Friday, 30 September.
His appointment comes after months of speculation over India’s next chief of defense, according to Reuters.
General Bipin Rawat took over as India’s first Chief of Defense Staff on 31 December 2019 after serving as the Chief of Army Staff of India.
Earlier, the Indian Air Force said that General Bipin Rawat along with his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others were on their way to address teachers and students of the Staff Course at Defense Services Staff College Wellington (Nilgiri Hills). The helicopter had crashed.