Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has renamed a Sainik School in Mainpuri district after General Bipin Rawat, the country’s first chief of defence staff (CDS), who died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu last December.
“As a tribute to General Bipin Rawat, who sacrificed his life in the service of the nation, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has decided that Sainik School, Mainpuri, will be, henceforth, known as General Bipin Rawat Sainik School,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said.
The Mainpuri-based Sainik School, which became functional on April 1, 2019, is among 33 such educational institutes in the country, of which there are three in Uttar Pradesh.
The other two schools in the state are in Jhansi and Amethi. It also has one more Sainik School, in Lucknow. While the others are run by the Sainik Schools Society under the ministry of defence, the one in Lucknow is operated by the UP Sainik Schools Society.
General Rawat, who was also the nation’s incumbent CDS, was among 13 passengers who lost their lives when their chopper crashed in Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 last year. The deceased included Rawat’s wife, Madhulika Rawat, as well.
Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Group Captain Varun Singh, initially survived the mishap but he later died during treatment in a hospital in Bengaluru on December 15.
IANS