Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday visited the Palam airbase in New Delhi and paid his last respects to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and the general’s wife Madhulika Rawat, and 11 armed forces personnel who lost their lives in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. He the tweeted, “Paid my last respects to Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. India will never forget their rich contribution.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also visited Palam airbase and paid their respects. The three Service chiefs—Army Chief Gen M.M. Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari—also paid their respects to CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and the others who died in the chopper crash. Apart from General Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder and Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh also died in the crash.
Nine other defence personnel who died in the chopper crash are: 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.
IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the helicopter crash, initially admitted to a hospital at Wellington in the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, was on Thursday shifted to the Air Force Command hospital at Bengaluru for further treatment, official sources said. Group Captain Singh was air-lifted to Bengaluru from Coimbatore, the sources said. Singh was undergoing treatment at the Military Hospital in Wellington for 80% burns and his condition was said to be “critical but stable,” they said.
The Indian Army said that the positive identification of only three mortal remains has been possible as of now, including General Bipin Rawat, Madhulika Rawat and Brigadier L.S. Lidder. The Indian Army said that the process for positive identification of the remaining mortal remains is continuing. The mortal remains will be released to the next of kin for final religious rites as desired by respective families after identification. The mortal remains will be kept at the Mortuary of Army Base Hospital till the completion of positive identification formalities.
The Army said that people can pay tributes to CDS General Bipin Rawat from 1100-1230 hours at his Kamraj Marg residence on Friday. The last rites will be performed in Delhi on Friday with full military honours. The funeral procession will start from Kamraj Marg and reach Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment on Friday. The last rites of Brig L.S. Lidder will be held at 9.15 am at Delhi Cantonment on Friday.
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Commander of Sri Lankan Army General Shavendra Silva is expected to attend the last rites of CDS General Bipin Rawat here on Friday.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday prayed for the speedy recovery of Group Captain Varun Singh. Taking to Twitter, President Kovind said, “My thoughts are with Group Captain Varun Singh who has survived the tragic chopper crash. I pray for his speedy recovery and long life.” The Group Captain was recently conferred with the Shaurya Chakra by President Kovind for his act of exceptional gallantry.
The Congress also prayed for the health and recovery of the Group Captain Varun Singh. “The Congress family prays along with a billion Indians for the health and speedy recovery of Group Captain Varun Singh,” tweeted the official account of the party.
Earlier, an IAF aircraft carrying the mortal remains of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel who passed away in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, reached the Palam Airbase in Delhi on Thursday evening from Sulur. “Appropriate military funerals of all deceased are being planned and coordinated in close consultation with close family members,” said the Indian Army. “Close family members of all the deceased personnel are arriving at Delhi. All necessary assistance and support are being provided,” read the statement of Indian Army.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the family of the CDS General Bipin Rawat on Thursday and extended his condolences over the demise of the CDS and his wife Madhulika Rawat in a chopper crash on Wednesday. CM Dhami said that the death of the CDS General Rawat is an irreparable loss. “It is a huge loss for the nation, especially for Uttarakhand and me,” he added.