- Tuesday, April 23, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh and national security adviser Ajit Doval paid last respects to late chief of defence staff general Bipin Rawat on Thursday (9).
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (9) paid final tributes to chief of defence staff general Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 personnel who were killed in a military helicopter crash in the southern state of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (8).
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Modi, along with defence minister Rajnath Singh, national security advisor Ajit Doval, visited the Palam airbase in New Delhi where they bid adieu to Rawat, who was India’s first chief of defence staff. Modi also met the family members of the Rawats.
The chiefs of India’s three armed forces – army chief general MM Naravane, navy chief admiral R Hari Kumar and Indian Air Force chief air marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari also paid tributes to Rawat and others.
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Rawat’s defence advisor brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder and staff officer lieutenant colonel Harjinder Singh were among those who died.
Air force group captain Varun Singh is the only survivor from the crash and he is currently undergoing treatment at Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru where he was shifted from Military Hospital, Wellington, Tamil Nadu.
Sources in the army said while the bodies of four victims, including the Rawats, had been identified, the process to identify the remaining bodies were on. The mortal remains will be released to the next of kin for final religious rites as wished by them.
The army said common people can pay tributes to Rawat between 11 am and 12.30 pm local time at his residence at Kamraj Marg on Friday (10).
The last rites of the Rawats will be held with full military honours the same day.
