New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led the nation in paying tribute to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and other 12 people who died in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
The mortal remains of General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other defence officials were brought to the national capital on Thursday evening in an Indian Air Force C-130J aircraft.
NSA Ajit Doval, Army Chief General MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, Air Chief Marshal AVR Chaudhari, and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were among those who paid homage at Palam airport.
The bodies of only General Rawat, Madhulika Rawat and Brigadier LS Lidder could be identified so far, the Army said. The mortal remains of only those identified will be released to the next of kin.
The other personnel killed in the accident are Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja. Officials said the bodies were charred because of which identification has become difficult, PTI reported.
The lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Bengaluru.
Civilians can pay their tributes to General Rawat from 11 am to 12:30 pm at his Karaj Marg residence on Friday. Military personnel can pay their last respects between 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.
After that, the mortal remains will be taken in a gun carriage for the funeral in Delhi Cantt Brar Square.
Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said General Rawat's last rites would be performed with full military honours. Both houses of Parliament observed a moment's silence to pay tribute and mourn the deaths.
Briefing the Lok Sabha on the chopper crash, Rajnath Singh said the IAF had ordered a tri-service inquiry into the chopper crash, which would be led by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh. The 'black box', or flight data recorder, of the ill-fated helicopter was recovered on Thursday and the data will be examined by the panel.
Helicopter Carrying General Bipin Rawat Crashes in Coonoor
General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others died on Wednesday after an Indian Air Force Mi-17V-5 helicopter with 14 people onboard crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor. General Bipin Rawat, 63, took charge as India's first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2019.
The crash took place shortly after the Russian-made Mi-17V-5 chopper took off from the Army base in Sulur in Coimbatore for the Defence Staff Services College in Wellington. The accident is believed to happened due to low visibility owing to foggy conditions.