General Bipin Rawat last rites : Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat who were killed along with 11 other armed forces personnel in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday were cremated with full military honours in Delhi today. The last rites were performed by their daughters - Kritika and Tarini at the Brar Square crematorium, Delhi Cantt.
There was also a 17-gun salute as the nation bid farewell to General Bipin Rawat. As per his daughter, family members of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat have planned to take his ashes to Haridwar on 11 December after completion of cremation rituals in Delhi.
Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Mansukh Mandaviya, Smriti Irani, and Sarbananda Sonowal paid their tribute to General Bipin Rawat. Besides them, Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also lay wreaths and paid respect to Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat at their official residence in Delhi this morning before cremation.
Announcing their demise, the IAF had
tweeted, “With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident.”
Calling him an outstanding soldier in his tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote that he was “A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional. His passing away has saddened me deeply. Om Shanti.”
Helicopter crash
As per reports that emerged on December 8, a Russian made Mi-17 V5 chopper that carried General Rawat, his wife and 12 other defence personnel had crashed shortly after takeoff in Tamil Nadu.
The chopper had taken off from the Air Force base in Sulur, Coimbatore and was headed for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills. It was expected to land in 10 minutes before the tragic incident happened.
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