IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Dec 12:
With identification of mortal remains of six more defence personnel, perished in an air crash at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, December 08, the number of bodied identified reached up to 09 on Saturday.
The bodies of JWO Pradeep ( Sulur, Tamil Nadu), Wg Cdr Chauhan( Agra, Uttar Pradesh), Sqn Ldr Kuldeep ( Pilani, Rajasthan), JWO Das( Bhubaneswar, Odisha)-all IAF, Lance /Naik k B Sai Teja( Bangalore, Karnataka) and L/Nk Vivek Kumar (Gaggal, Himachal Pradesh)-Indian Army were identified at the mortuary at the Army Base Hospital, Delhi and were sent to respective states by Air transport plan on Saturday.
The last rites of Chief of Defence (CDS) Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and Brigadier L S Lidder were performed at Brar Square crematorium with full military honours on Friday.
An IAF Mi 17 V5 helicopter with a crew of 5 members carrying the CDS and 8 others met with a tragic accident near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. CDS 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, the aircraft met with the accident. Of 14 persons, 13 succumbed to severe burn injuries. While the lone survivor Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently under treatment at Command Hospital, Bangalore.
‘Swarnim Vijay Parv’
In another development ‘Swarnim Vijay Parv’ is being observed at India Gate, New Delhi on Sunday and Monday, to commemorate 50 years of India’s historic victory in the 1971 war against Pakistan and the Indo-Bangladesh friendship. The event will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Major weapons and equipment used during the 1971 war will be displayed along with the snippets of major battles. After the inauguration, the event would be open to the public. The closing ceremony will be held on Monday, which will be attended by Rajnath Singh. Many dignitaries, including from Bangladesh, will be present.
