A candlelight vigil took place in Badami Bagh area of Srinagar in memory of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others, who died in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, at a war memorial on Friday.
The event was organised by civilians, army officers’ families in collaboration with the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army. “People had requested that they want to pay tribute to General Bipin Rawat and soldiers who died in the helicopter crash. This is a tribute from the people of Kashmir and Chinar Corps at the war memorial in Srinagar,” said Lieutenant general DP Pandey, General Officer Commanding, Srinagar, Chinar Corps.
“CDS Rawat has served here. He has a connection with Kashmir. This memorial service shows the deep-rooted connection of CDS Rawat with Kashmir and the people of Kashmir,” said Junaid Mattu, Mayor, Srinagar.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat were cremated with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment on Friday.
An IAF chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday claimed the lives of 13 people including CDS Rawat, his wife and his defence adviser Brigadier Lidder.
Other defence forces personnel who died in the chopper crash are CDS Rawat’s Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik B. Sai Teja.
Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the crash, has been shifted to Air Force Command hospital at Bengaluru for further treatment.
The Centre has ordered a ‘tri service’ inquiry into the accident. The inquiry will be headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command.