IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Dec 9:
The last rites of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika, who were killed in an air crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday will be performed in Delhi Cantonment, on Friday, December 10.
Their bodies will be brought to Delhi by Thursday evening. The bodies will be kept at the Rawats’ Delhi house, where people can pay their last respects between 11am and 2 pm on Friday. The funeral procession will begin from Kamraj Marg after 2 pm and end at the Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment, official sources said.
Rawat’s two daughters- Kritika and Tarini, his younger sister and brother are expected to attend the funeral. The Uttarakhand Government has announced three day’s state mourning. Rawat was born in Paudi Garhwal of Uttarakhand.
CDS Rawat, his wife and 11 others were killed in a chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Others who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident included: Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Vivek Kumar, B Sai Teja, and Havildar Satpal and crew members of the chopper.
The injured Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently under treatment at Military Hospital, Wellington, a Defence CPRO Cdr Mehul Karnik said.
Rawat was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiri Hills) to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course. Around noon, an IAF Mi 17 V5 helicopter with a crew of 4 members carrying the CDS and 9 other passengers met with a tragic accident near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
“Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 11 other armed forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu. His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our armed forces and the country”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others paid homage to Rawat by observing a two minute silence in the cabinet meeting held late Wednesday evening.
General Bipin Rawat, India’s first CDS, was a visionary who initiated far reaching reforms in the Indian military’s higher defence organisation. He was instrumental in creating the foundation of India’s joint theatre commands and giving impetus to the increased indigenisation of military equipment, a legacy which will be carried on and strengthened by successive generations.
Madhulika Rawat, the former President of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) was an epitome of grace whose presence will be missed by everyone.
