Military camp in Kibithu named after General Bipin Rawat

The strategically key Kibithu military garrison was named after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat on Saturday around nine months after he died in a helicopter crash.

Rawat commanded his Battalion 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at Kibithu from 1999-2000 as a young Colonel and contributed immensely to strengthening the security structure in the area.

The 22km Kibithu-Wallong Road was also renamed General Bipin Rawat Road along with the renaming of the military camp. Besides the unveiling of a life-size mural of Rawat, a gate to the garrison built in the traditional style was also inaugurated.

#WATCH | Former CDS Late General Bipin Rawat honoured today in Arunachal Pradesh where Kibithu military camp was named “General Bipin Rawat Military Garrison.” Gen Rawat had commanded his unit 5/11 Gorkha Rifles at this camp as a Colonel. pic.twitter.com/A0d68NjYBm

— ANI (@ANI)
September 10, 2022

What is the new name of Kibithu?

1. The Kibithu military camp has been renamed Gen Bipin Rawat Military Garrison.
2. Also, a grand gate built in the local traditional architectural style was inaugurated by the governor.
3. The 22 km-long road stretch from Walong to Kibithu and the garrison were named after Gen Rawat at a ceremony. 
4. The function was attended by Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Brigadier (retd) BD Mishra, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita, and Gen Rawat’s daughter Tarini.

What is the location of Kibithu?

1. The location of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Rima post is just opposite the Indian garrison. 
2. The military garrison watch after the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector. 
3. Kibithu is situated near the LAC and is the easternmost military garrison of India. It is settled in the mountainous and arduous terrain of the Lohit Valley.
4. The small hamlet is inhabited by Mayor and Jarkin tribes. 

What is the significance of Kibithu?

1. The garrison is very essential for its strategic location. 
2. During the 1962 Sino-India War, Kibithu endured the initial onslaught of Chinese aggression 
3. It was first occupied by 2 Assam Rifles in December 1950 with one platoon. The post was further strengthened with an additional Platoon in 1959. 
4. Kibithu was reoccupied by 2 Assam Rifles in 1964, at the termination of the War. In 1985, 6 Rajputs took over its defenses.
5. Gen Rawat significantly upgraded the garrison during his tenure and synergized civil-military relations with the locals and formalized the Border Personnel Meeting mechanism.

 Who was gen Bipin Rawat?

The first sitting Chief of Army Staff to be appointed to the top post was General Rawat. He was the 27th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) who took over the reins of the Indian Army from General Dalbir Singh Suhag on December 17, 2016.

Gen Rawat’s contributions to strengthening the country’s defense structures are unparalleled. His vision and foresight were instrumental in implementing the infrastructural development and ensuring societal progress in the area. 

Bipin Rawat died in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 last year. He was with his wife Madhulika and 12 armed forces personnel. The prime reason for the crash of the IAF helicopter was bad weather leading to a phenomenon called Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Rawat was posthumously conferred India’s second-highest civilian honor Padma Vibhushan early this year.