New Delhi: Speaking about Indian Air Force Group Captain Varun Singh’s supreme sacrifice, father Colonel KP Singh (Retired) said that his son was a fighter and that he has made the family proud.
Late IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed to his injuries after surviving the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor, was cremated with full military honours in Bhopal today.
“My son was a fighter... No time to shed tears, this is a proud moment”: Col KP Singh (Retd) said as he spoke exclusively to ABP News.
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A ceremonial guard of honour was given by the defence forces personnel after the mortal remains arrived at the cremation ground. Senior services officers paid tribute to Captain Singh by placing a floral wreath on his coffin. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang also paid their tributes to the Group Captain.
Col KP Singh (Retd) had settled in Bhopal after his retirement.
Talking about Varun, the father’s eyes welled up and he said that his son wanted to become nothing else but a fighter pilot since childhood.
Varun was afraid of maths and physics but wanted to become a pilot still. He overcame all the difficulties, his marks were low in Class 12, yet he became a pilot.
“He was a real fighter,” the emotional father said.
Varun Singh was the lone survivor of the December 8 chopper crash which claimed the lives of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 11 armed forces personnel. He breathed his last at a military hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Talking about Late Group Captain Varun Singh’s fight for life during the hospital treatment, his father revealed that those eight days were very difficult for the family.
“He kept fighting death in the hospital the whole time. Sometimes the condition was fine, sometimes it used to deteriorate. The Defense Minister (Rajnath Singh) used to call twice a day to know about his health and talk to us. Our family will never forget the love and respect the country has given to him,” Col KP Singh (Retd) said.
Varun Singh is survived by his wife, eleven-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter.
Today, his younger brother, a Lieutenant Commander in the Indian Navy and his son lit the pyre after the priest and the family members performed the rituals amid the slogans of “Group Captain Varun Singh amar rahe”.
Group Captain Varun Singh was conferred with the Shaurya Chakra, India’s third-highest peacetime gallantry award, in August this year for his exemplary composure and skill when his Tejas aircraft developed a technical snag.
(With PTI Inputs)