Sulur Chopper Crash: Mortal Remains Of Four IAF, Two Army Personnel Identified

Indian Air Force personnel identified are JWO Pradeep A, Wg Cdr PS Chauhan, JWO Rana Pratap Das and Sqn Leader Kuldeep Singh

Representational Image. (File Photo)

New Delhi: The identification of the mortal remains of four Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel and two Army personnel, who died in the helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu that left India's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat including 13 others dead, have been completed.

Identification of all four IAF personnel has been completed, informed IAF while sharing the air transport plan and details of the personnel, according to the news agency ANI tweet.

Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel identified are JWO Pradeep A, Wg Cdr PS Chauhan, JWO Rana Pratap Das and Sqn Leader Kuldeep Singh. 

The army also said positive identification of the mortal remains of Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik B Sai Teja has been completed. “The mortal remains have been released to close family members this morning. Mortal remains will move by air for last rites with appropriate military honour. Wreaths will be laid at the Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment prior to departure,” ANI cited an army official as saying.

“The process for positive identification of remaining mortal remains is continuing,” the official also said.  Other defence forces personnel who died in the chopper crash include Gen Rawat's Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh and Naik Jitendra Kumar.

The Army had said the mortal remains of only three persons including General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and Brigadier Lidder, had been positively identified so far. CDS General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat were cremated with full military honour at the Brar Square crematorium in New Delhi on Friday. CDS Rawat, his wife, and 11 other defence personnel were killed after an IAF’s Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Earlier during the day, Brigadier L S Lidder was also laid to rest at Brar Square. 

The bodies of all the victims were flown from Sulur near Coimbatore to the Palam airbase on Thursday evening in caskets wrapped in the Tricolour. Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the crash, is batting for life at a military hospital in Bengaluru.

Tri-Service Inquiry Into IAF Chopper Crash

Indian Air Force (IAF) has constituted a tri-service court of inquiry to investigate the cause of the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on December 8.

The IAF has appealed to avoid speculation around the chopper crash. "IAF has constituted a tri-service Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the tragic helicopter accident on 08 Dec 21. The inquiry would be completed expeditiously & facts brought out. Till then, to respect the dignity of the deceased, uninformed speculation may be avoided," IAF has tweeted.

The tri-services inquiry will be headed by the Indian Air Force’s Air Officer Training Command Air Marshal Manvendra Singh. He is one of the most experienced helicopter pilots with over 6,600 hours of flying on various types.