The mortal remains of India’s first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder and 10 other defense personnel arrived at Delhi’s Palam airbase on Thursday. Their mortal remains were brought to Delhi by a military aircraft. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute after the mortal remains reached the airbase. After this, family members and relatives of the martyrs also paid tributes, who were already present at the airbase.
After paying tributes by PM Modi and other leaders and military officers, the atmosphere turned gloomy when the family members and daughters of the martyrs started paying homage. Meanwhile, the daughter of Brigadier LS Lidder, who was killed in the helicopter crash, reached the father’s coffin. After her father reached in front of the coffin, she stood for some time and then bowed down and kissed his coffin. Heart-wrenching scenes were witnessed at Palam airport.
The mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife will be kept at their 3 Kamaraj Marg residence for the last darshan of the general public from 11 am to 12:30 pm on Friday. The timings between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm will be for military personnel to pay tribute to Bipin Rawat and his wife.
The last journey of General Rawat will begin at around 2 pm from his residence to the Berar Square crematorium. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm. Brigadier Lidder’s last rites will be performed at 9 am.
Besides General Rawat, his wife and Brigadier Lidder, 10 armed forces personnel were killed in the Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash. This helicopter crash is one of the major air accidents in India in the last few decades in which senior military officers were traveling.
Other personnel killed in the accident were Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja. Are included.
