Lieutenant General

L. S. Rawat

PVSM, AVSM
BornNovember 1930
Died11 February 2015(2015-02-11) (aged 84)
Allegiance India
Service/branch Indian Army
Years of service1951–1988
Rank Lieutenant General
Unit3/11 Gorkha Rifles
Commands heldX Corps
Maharashtra & Gujarat Area
19th Infantry Division
5/11 Gorkha Rifles
Battles/warsGeneral Bipin Rawat (son)
Awards Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

Lieutenant General Lakshman Singh Rawat, PVSM, AVSM (November 1930 – 11 February 2015) was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He last served as the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, from 1987 to 1988. His son General Bipin Rawat was India's first Chief of the Defence Staff and was the 26th Chief of the Army Staff.

Early life

Rawat was born in November 1930 in the Sainj village of the Pauri Garhwal district.[1] His father was a soldier in the Indian Army. Apart from Rawat, his brothers Bharat and Harinandan both served in the ranks of the Indian Army.[2][3][4][5]

Military career

Rawat was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd battalion, The 11th Gorkha Rifles (3/11 GR). He later commanded the 5th battalion of the 11th Gorkha Rifles (5/11 GR). His son Bipin would later be commissioned into this unit and go on to command it. In the rank of Colonel, Rawat served with the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) in Bhutan from 1970 to 1972. Promoted to the rank of Brigadier, he commanded an infantry brigade from 1973 to 1976. He subsequently served as the Brigadier Administration (Brig Adm) at the headquarters of the recently formed Northern Command. After a two-year stint as Brig Adm, he was appointed Director National Cadet Corps (NCC), Uttar Pradesh, in November 1978.[6]

General officer

In 1980, Rawat was promoted to the rank of major general and appointed general officer commanding (GOC) 19th Infantry Division. He commanded the division for over two years which was based in Jammu and Kashmir. For his command of the division, on 26 January 1981, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.[7]

Rawat subsequently was appointed GOC Maharashtra and Gujarat Area, a static formation, which he commanded for about three years. In June 1985, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed GOC X Corps, headquartered at Bathinda.[1] He also took over as the Colonel of the 11th Gorkha Rifles. After a year-long tenure commanding X Corps, he moved to headquarters Southern Command as the Chief of Staff.[8] He served as the Chief of Staff for till November 1987.[9]

On 30 November 1987, Rawat moved to Army HQ, after being appointed Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (DCOAS). He also took over as the President of the Gorkha Brigade. After a year-long stint as DCOAS, he retired from the Army.[10] On 26 January 1989, he was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of the most exceptional order.[11]

Personal life

Rawat married the daughter of Kishan Singh Parmar, an ex-Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Uttarkashi.[12] The couple had two sons - Bipin and Vijay. Both sons joined the Army. Bipin rose to the rank of General, becoming the 26th Chief of the Army Staff and the first Chief of the Defence Staff. He was killed in harness in a helicopter crash in 2021. Vijay retired in the rank of Colonel.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b "General Rawat 2.0: India's New Army Chief Ready To Follow On Dad's Footsteps". HuffPost. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. ^ Sen, Sudhi Ranjan (19 December 2016). "India's New Army Chief Walks In The Footsteps Of His Father, Who Was Deputy Chief". HuffPost India. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Gen Bipin Rawat known for operational skills and strategic expertise". Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Bipin Rawat to have full three years tenure". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Lt General Bipin Rawat's uncle, retired from Army as havaldar, hails nephew's achievement". The Times of India. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "LT GEN LS RAWAT TAKES OVER COMMAND OF A CORPS" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ^ "GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ^ "LT GEN LS RAWAT APPOINTED CHIEF OF STAFF HQ SOUTHERN COMMAND" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  9. ^ "KRANTI EXPEDITION TO MOUNTAIN RATHONG PEAK" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  10. ^ "LT GEN LS RAWAT RETIRES" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  11. ^ "GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL" (PDF). archive.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. ^ "Army Chief visits mother's ancestral village". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 20 September 2019.
  13. ^ "Uttarakhand assembly elections: Vijay Rawat, brother of late CDS General Bipin Rawat, joins BJP". The Times of India. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
Military offices Preceded byMathew Thomas General Officer Commanding X Corps 1985-1986 Succeeded byF. N. Billimoria Preceded byKunwar Mahendra Singh Deputy Chief of the Army Staff 1987-1988 Succeeded byR. N. Mahajan
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