Accompanied by Grandchild, Gen Bipin Rawat's Daughters Pay Last Respects to Parents

Daughters Kritika and Tarini paid their last respects to parents General Bipin Rawat and Madhulika, accompanied by the couple’s grandchild, before the funeral procession of India’s first chief of defence staff and his wife began on Friday.

The child paid floral tributes to his grandparents along with the couple’s daughters. Gen Rawat, his wife, Brig LS Lidder and 10 more defence personnel were killed in the army helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonnor on Wednesday.

The funeral procession of Gen Rawat began from his residence to Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment. Citizens raised slogans of ‘Jab tak suraj chaand rahega, Bipin ji ka naam rahega’, as the cortège of Gen Rawat proceeded towards the crematorium. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm.

The residence was open to general public to pay their final respects from 11 am to 12:30 pm, while the slot between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm was reserved for military personnel. Brigadier Lidder’s funeral was held at 9 am. All the bodies were to be taken to the army hospital in Dhaula Kuan after the tribute ceremony.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country’s top military brass paid homage to Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife, Brig Lidder and 10 more defence personnel at the Palam airbase on Thursday, after their bodies were brought to Delhi in a military aircraft. Defence minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, army chief MM Naravane, navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, air chief marshal AVR Chaudhari and defence secretary Ajay Kumar were among those present at the sombre ceremony.

“Paid my last respects to Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. India will never forget their rich contribution,” Modi tweeted.

Only three out of 13 bodies have been identified, so far — Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and Brigadier LS Lidder. Army officials said bodies of those identified will be released to families for last rites. The other bodies will be kept at the mortuary at the army base hospital till they are identified.

Besides Gen Rawat, his wife and Brig Lidder, the 10 other personnel killed in the accident are: Lt Col Harjinder Singh, 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. The lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Bengaluru.

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