CDS Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat were among the 13 people who died in the military helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor on Wednesday
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat who was killed along with his wife and 11 armed forces personnel in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday was cremated with full military honours in Delhi today. PTI
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat were cremated with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment on Friday. Their daughters Kritika and Tarini performed the last rites.
Gen Rawat, his wife, and 11 other defence personnel were killed when a Mi17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union minister Kiren Rijiju, Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain, and British high commissioner to India Alex Ellis were among several others who paid tribute to Gen Rawat and his wife at the crematorium.
The casket carrying body of Indian military chief, Gen. Bipin Rawat covered with flowers was taken for his last rites in a procession, in New Delhi. AP
Defence officials of several countries also paid tribute to them. The CDS was accorded a 17-gun salute, according to laid down protocol
A ceremonial battery of 2233 Field Regiment provided gun carriage. About 800 service personnel were in attendance for the military funeral of the CDS.
The final journey of Gen Rawat and his wife began amid chants of ‘Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Rawat ji ka naam rahega’.
The grandchild of the CDS also paid final respect to grandparents.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, along with other senior leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, and a host of other dignitaries, among others on Friday laid wreaths on the mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah paid his last respects to late Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat, in New Delhi. PTI
Other political leaders such as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Harish Singh Rawat, BJP chief JP Nadda and DMK leaders A Raja and Kanimozhi also paid their respects to the Rawat family at their residence at New Delhi’s Kamraj Marg.
Before the final procession to Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment, slogans of ‘Jab tak suraj chaand rahega, Bipin ji ka naam rahega’, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Gen Rawat amar rahe’, and ‘Uttarakhand ka heera amar rahe’ rang out loud in the area.
The mortal remains were kept at their official residence here before cremation, to allow people to pay respects.
Rawat’s house was open to general public to pay their final respects from 11 am to 12.30 pm, while the slot between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm was reserved for military personnel.
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal paid tribute to CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat, who passed away in an IAF chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, at his residence in New Delhi. PTI
Brigadier Lidder‘s funeral was held at 9 am. All the bodies were to be taken to the army hospital in Dhaula Kuan after the tribute ceremony.
On Thursday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to General Bipin Rawat, his wife, Brig Lidder and 10 more defence personnel at the Palam airbase on Thursday, after their bodies were brought to Delhi in a military aircraft.
The Centre has ordered a ‘tri service’ inquiry into the accident. The inquiry will be headed by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command.
With inputs from agencies
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