CJI, Union Ministers, others pay tributes to CDS Rawat

New Delhi [India], December 10 (ANI): Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and several Union Ministers on Friday arrived at the residence of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat to pay their tributes to the latter and his wife, who lost their lives in the military chopper crash earlier on December 8.
Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Mansukh Mandaviya, Smriti Irani, Narendra Singh Tomar and Sarbananda Sonowal among others paid their last respects to the CDS.

“Country is in shock. It has lost a brave soldier and a qualified commander. The loss can never be filed. I pay tribute and condolence to the souls of the lost lives. I pray that their family gets the strength to bear the pain and he may rest in peace,” Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Chief Justice of India NV Ramana also placed a wreath on the mortal remains of General Bipin Rawat.

The three service chiefs – Army Chief General MM Naravane, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar also paid their tributes to India’s first Chief of Defense Staff.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and several other prominent leaders had also paid tribute to CDS General Bipin Rawat, earlier in the day.

5/11 Gorkha Rifles are looking after all the arrangements of the last rites of General Rawat who was commissioned in the unit and also went ahead to command it.
The last rites of General Rawat will be performed later in the day with full military honours. The funeral procession will start from Kamraj Marg and reach Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment.
An IAF chopper crash near Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor on Wednesday claimed the lives of 13 people including CDS Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and his defence adviser Brigadier Lidder.
Brigadier Lidder was cremated earlier today.
Other 10 defence forces personnel who died in the chopper crash are Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik B Sai Teja.
Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor in the crash, has been shifted to Air Force Command hospital at Bengaluru for further treatment.
The Centre has ordered a ‘tri service’ inquiry into the accident. The inquiry will be headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command.
According to the sources, the black box of the chopper has been recovered from the crash site. (ANI)