State funeral for CDS Bipin Rawat, others; IAF probe has begun: Rajnath Singh briefs Parliament on Mi-17 chopper crash

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that the last rites of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat and others killed in Mi-17 chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu will be performed with full military honours.

Singh said this while briefing the Parliament about the unfortunate chopper crash in Tamil Nadu in which CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other defence personnel died. “The last rites of CDS General Bipin Rawat will be performed with full military honours. The last rites of other military personnel will be performed with appropriate military honour,” Rajnath Singh said.

The Defence Minister also informed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has ordered a tri-service inquiry into the military chopper crash. The investigation will be led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. The inquiry team reached Wellington yesterday itself and started the investigation, the Defence Minister told Lok Sabha.

Sharing more information, Singh told MPs that Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in Military Hospital, Wellington. "All efforts are being made to save his life," the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in his statement in Lok Sabha on the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.

The Lok Sabha also observed a two-minute silence on the demise of the 13 people in Wednesday`s crash of the M 17 helicopter. Singh is also likely to brief the Rajya Sabha later today.

The Chief of Defence Staff had left the Palam airbase in an IAF Embraer aircraft at 8:47 am and landed at Sulur airbase at 11:34 am. He took off from Sulur in a Mi-17V5 chopper at around 1148 am for Wellington, official sources said. The chopper crashed around 12.22 pm, they said.

Rawat had survived a helicopter crash six years ago, in 2015, when he was a Lt General. The Chief of Defence Staff was scheduled to deliver a lecture at Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.

Those who were killed in the crash included Brig LS Lidder, the military adviser to the Chief of Defence Staff, and staff officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh. The other personnel killed are Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja.

CDS Rawat and his wife will be cremated at Delhi Cantt on Friday.