Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday introduced {that a} tri-service probe has been ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Helicopter crash through which Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat was killed, his spouse Madhulika Rawat and 11 others. He stated the probe can be headed by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command Air Marshal Manvendra Singh.
Speaking within the Lok Sabha, Singh expressed deep grief over the loss of life of Rawat. “With deep sadness and a heavy heart, I stand with India’s first Chief of Defense Staff, General Bipin Rawat, to convey the unfortunate news of the crash of a military helicopter in the afternoon of 8 December 2021,” he stated.
“General Bipin Rawat was on a scheduled visit to Defense Services Staff College, Wellington to interact with the student officers. The Mi 17 V5 helicopter of the Air Force took off from Sulur Air Base at 11.48 am yesterday and was expected to land in Wellington by 12.15 pm. The Air Traffic Control lost contact with the helicopter at Sulur Air Base at around 12.08 pm. Following this, some locals saw forest fire near Coonoor and rushed to the spot where they saw the wreckage of an army helicopter engulfed in flames. Rescue teams from the nearby local administration rushed to the spot and tried to rescue the survivors from the accident site,” he instructed the House.
According to the Defense Minister, all these recovered from the wreckage have been taken to the Military Hospital in Wellington. “Latest experiences have confirmed that out of the whole 14 folks on board the unlucky helicopter, 13 have succumbed to their accidents. The useless included CDS’s spouse Smt. Madhulika Rawat, his Defense Advisor Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and 9 different Armed Forces personnel together with Air Force helicopter crew. Their names are 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, Lance Naik B Sai Teja.
“Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support at the Military Hospital in Wellington and all efforts are being made to save his life,” Singh stated.
“The Chief of Defense Staff will be cremated with full military honours,” he stated.
Following his assertion, the Lok Sabha paid tribute to him and different troopers killed within the accident.
Speaker Om Birla, on behalf of the House, paid a heartfelt tribute to Rawat, saying that as the primary CDS he had made a worthwhile contribution to the nation and was totally dedicated to its safety.
The House noticed a minute’s silence in honor of Rawat and different victims.
Earlier, opposition events had introduced that they might droop their ongoing protests in opposition to the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs in honor of the deceased.
On Thursday morning, the our bodies of the victims have been taken to the Madras Regimental Center for a wreath-laying ceremony, which was attended by army personnel and high officers of the Tamil Nadu authorities.
General Rawat, 63, was on his method to the Defense Services Staff College in Wellington, the place he was to ship a lecture. His spouse, President of the Defense Wives Welfare Association, accompanied him together with members of the CDS workers.
Announcing General Rawat’s loss of life, the IAF stated in a Twitter put up: “With deepest regret, it is now learned that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 others on board have died in the unfortunate accident.”
It stated a Mi-17V5 helicopter “with a crew of 4 members carrying CDS and 9 other passengers met with a tragic accident near Coonoor”. Court of Inquiry has been ordered.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
