GUWAHATI: A military station in Kibithu, a tiny town barely 15km from the China border in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district, and a 22km road leading to it have been renamed General Bipin Rawat Military Garrison and Gen Bipin Rawat Marg after India’s first Chief of Defence Staff who died in a helicopter crash last year.
General Rawat had commanded his 5/11 Gorkha Rifles battalion as a colonel from 1999 to 2000 in Kibithu, the easternmost town in Arunachal.
The 22km stretch from Walong to Kibithu is steeped in history. In the 1962 India-China War, the Battle of Walong was the only counterattack by India. Separated by the Lohit river, Kibithu and neighbouring Kaho sit on a heavily militarised tri-junction, with China to the north and Myanmar to their east.
The army said Gen Rawat’s vision and foresight were instrumental in implementing infrastructure development and ensuring societal progress in the area. A gate built at the garrison in local architectural style was inaugurated by Arunachal governor Brig (retired) BD Mishra, while the road was opened by CM Pema Khandu. A life-size mural of Gen Rawat was also unveiled.
