Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other Armed Forces personnel were killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Rawat was travelling to the Defence Staff College in Wellington from the Indian Air Force base in Sulur near Coimbatore when the Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force crashed near Coonoor around noon.
“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the IAF said in a tweet.
It said Gp Capt Varun Singh SC, Directing Staff at DSSC—the only survivor in the accident—is currently under treatment at the Military Hospital, Wellington.
Gen Rawat was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course.
Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari has rushed to Coonoor even as the IAF said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has also left for Coonoor.
“I am deeply anguished by the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu in which we have lost Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. They served India with utmost diligence. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
"Gen Bipin Rawat was an outstanding soldier. A true patriot, he greatly contributed to modernising our armed forces and security apparatus. His insights and perspectives on strategic matters were exceptional. His passing away has saddened me deeply. Om Shanti," Modi said.
The prime minister said Gen Rawat worked on diverse aspects relating to India’s armed forces including defence reforms. “He brought with him a rich experience of serving in the Army. India will never forget his exceptional service,” he said.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who earlier held a meeting of the senior officials of the ministry, is closely monitoring the situation. Singh also briefed Modi about the crash.
“Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nad,” Singh tweeted.
“His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our Armed Forces and the country,” he said.
In another tweet, the defence minister said: “General Rawat had served the country with exceptional courage and diligence. As the first Chief of Defence Staff he had prepared plans for jointness of our Armed Forces.”
He also prayed for the speedy discovery of Gp Capt Varun Singh.
Besides Gen Rawat and his wife, those on board the ill-fated helicopter included Brigadier L.S. Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Naik Vivek Kumar, Naik B. Sai Teja, Havaldar Satpal and the pilots.
