DNA Exclusive: Court of inquiry begins in Gen Bipin Rawat’s chopper crash case, key details

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Thursday (December 9) discussed the key developments in the Tamil Nadu helicopter crash that killed 13 people including CDS General Bipin Rawat.

New Delhi: The mortal remains of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 defence personnel who died in the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, reached Delhi’s Palam airbase on Thursday. 

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Thursday (December 9) discussed the key developments in the Coonoor chopper crash that claimed 13 lives. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval and the three service chiefs– Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari– paid tribute to the deceased. 

Earlier today, when the mortal remains of CDS Rawat and the other 12 victims of the crash were being shifted to the Sulur Army Base Camp in Tamil Nadu, hundreds of locals gathered on the road and showered flower petals to bid them a final farewell. 

General Rawat served the Indian Army and this country for 43 years and today the common people of this country gave him a fitting tribute. 

Meanwhile, IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the helicopter crash was shifted to Bengaluru from the Army hospital at Wellington in Tamil Nadu. Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai along with Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot visited the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru where Singh is admitted. 

Key developments in the IAF chopper crash:

1. The last rites of CDS General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat will be held on Friday around 5 pm at Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment. The funeral of Gen Rawat will be performed with full military honours. 

2.  IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari on Thursday morning reached the chopper crash site near Coonoor in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu along with state DGP C Sylendra Babu to take stock of the situation. 

3. The Indian Air Force has initiated the Court of Inquiry in the Mi-17VH chopper crash that occurred when CDS Rawat was on his way to the Defence Staff College in Wellington. 

4. More than 20 countries including the US, France, Russia, Israel, UK, and Australia among others have paid tribute to India’s first CDS. The US in its official statement said that General Rawat was a "strong proponent of the US-India defence partnership". 

5. Defence officials have retrieved the Flight Data Recorder, popularly known as 'Black Box', of the IAF helicopter that crashed near Coonoor on Wednesday. The black box would provide significant data on the events that led to the tragedy on the hills. Although known as 'black box', these recorders are bright orange in colour to make them more visually conspicuous in the debris after an accident.