Bipin Chandra Joshi
General Bipin Chandra Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (5 December 1935 – 19 November 1994) was the 17th Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army. He is the only Chief of the Indian Army to die in office, and until the 2021 death of General Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash, the only full general and serving Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee to have died in office.
Bipin Chandra Joshi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 December 1935[1] Pithoragarh, United Provinces, British India (now Uttarakhand, India) |
| Died | 19 November 1994 (aged 58) New Delhi, India |
| Allegiance | India |
| Service/ | Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1954–1994 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | IC-7011[2] |
| Commands held | Western Army Southern Army |
| Awards | Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal |
Early life edit
Joshi was born in a Hindu Kumaoni Brahmin family. The time he became Army Chief, Pithoragarh & Almora were parts of Uttar Pradesh. He was the first Army Chief from Uttar Pradesh (Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand was a part of erstwhile Uttar Pradesh). Today Pithoragarh district falls within the borders of Uttarakhand.
Career edit
- Commissioned 4 December 1954 into 2nd Lancers (Gardner's Horse), Indian Army Armoured Corps.[2]
- Commanded an armoured regiment the 64th Cavalry in the Western Sector during the 1971 Indo-Pak operations.[3] He also commanded an Independent Armoured Brigade and an Infantry Division.
- Military Advisor in Australia from May 1973 to October 1976[3]
- Staff officer in the UN Force in Gaza[3]
- Brigadier General Staff in a Corps Headquarters[3]
- Commanded a Corps in the Eastern Sector[3]
- General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command.[3]
- Additional Director General of Perspective Planning (ADG PP) & Director General Military Operations (DGMO) at the Army Headquarters[3]
- Three tenures as an instructor in the Armoured Corps Centre and School, Ahmednagar[3]
- Directed Staff in the College of Combat, Mhow[3]
- Established the Army Institute of Technology in Pune (Engineering College), Maharashtra in August 1994 for the wards of defence personnel, either in service or retired.
Joshi also became Colonel_(India)#Colonel_of_the_regiment of the 64 Cavalry later in his career.[citation needed]
Medals edit
Joshi has been a recipient of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service of the most exceptional order.
Death edit
Joshi died of a cardiac arrest in New Delhi Military Hospital on 18 November 1994.[4] He was due to retire in 1995. He was the first Chief of Indian Army who died in harness. General Bipin Rawat, former Chief and the serving Chief of Defence Staff, also died in a tragic helicopter crash in December 2021 whilst landing at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. General Joshi’s untimely death changed the entire line of succession for the post of Chief of Army Staff, which is typically decided on the basis of seniority. As a result, Lt. Gen. Shankar Roychoudhary was promoted to full general and appointed as the 17th Chief of Army Staff.
Legacy edit
The Gen. B. C. Joshi Army Public School was established in 1993 in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand in his honour.[5]
Honours and decorations edit
Dates of rank edit
| Insignia | Rank | Component | Date of rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant | Indian Army | 4 December 1954[2] | |
| Lieutenant | Indian Army | 4 December 1956[6] | |
| Captain | Indian Army | 4 December 1960[7] | |
| Major | Indian Army | 4 December 1967[8] | |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Indian Army | 1 April 1974[9] | |
| Colonel | Indian Army | 19 October 1979[10] | |
| Brigadier | Indian Army | 1 April 1980[11] | |
| Major General | Indian Army | 1 October 1984[12] | |
| Lieutenant General | Indian Army | 2 June 1987 (seniority from 1 April)[13] | |
| General (COAS) | Indian Army | 1 July 1993[14] |
References edit
- ^ Abidi, S. Sartaj Alam; Sharma, Satinder (2007). Services Chiefs of India. Northern Book Centre. p. 81. ISBN 9788172111625. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ a b c "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 18 June 1955. p. 118.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i . bharat-rakshak.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Gen. Bipin Chandra Joshi, Indian Army Chief, 59". NY Times. 19 November 1994. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "Gen. B.C. Joshi Army Public School". Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 30 March 1957. p. 79.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 28 January 1961. p. 26.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 10 February 1968. p. 98.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 October 1975. p. 1373.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 15 May 1982. p. 680.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 1 January 1983. p. 22.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 11 October 1986. p. 1533.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 9 January 1988. p. 68.
- ^ "Part I-Section 4: Ministry of Defence (Army Branch)". The Gazette of India. 28 August 1993. p. 1536.
External links edit
- Book titled Man, culture, and society in the Kumaun Himalayas: General B. C. Joshi commemoration volume (ISBN 8185865299) - includes brief articles on General B. C. Joshi
- https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/19/obituaries/gen-bipin-chandra-joshi-indian-army-chief-59.html
- http://www.timescontent.com/tss/showcase/preview-buy/29780/News/General-Bipin-Chandra-Joshi.html