Uttarakhand chopper crash: Body of NDRF member cremated with full honours

Body of Deputy Commandant Nityanand Gupta, one of rescue personnel who died in a chopper crash in Uttarakhand, was cremated with full state honours.

Kanpur: The body of Deputy Commandant Nityanand Gupta, one of the rescue personnel who lost his life in a helicopter crash during relief operations in Uttarakhand, was cremated on Tuesday with full state honours at Bithur Ghat here. Shops in the Chaubeypur area of the city, where Gupta used to reside, remained shut as locals attended the funeral in large numbers. Indo-Tibetan Border Police officers and district officials, too, were present on the occasion to pay their last respects to the deceased.

Gupta was among the 20 rescue personnel inside the helicopter which crashed in the hills near Kedarnath on June 25. Gupta was a member of the National Disaster Response Force`s Ghaziabad unit which was involved in rescue operations following the natural calamity in Uttarakhand. He is survived by his wife Madhvi, daughter Sakshi and son Manen. ITBP jawans brought Gupta`s body to his residence last night. The deceased`s father Manna Lal Gupta has, meanwhile, alleged that the DNA tests for the helicopter crash victims had not been properly conducted, leading to a delay in the arrival of his son`s body. PTI