The last rites of India's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, Brig LS Lidder and 10 more defence personnel will be performed on Friday.

All thirteen were killed after Mi-17V5 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF), carrying the 63-year-old tri-services chief, crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday that triggered grief across the country.

The chopper was on its way to Wellington in Nilgiri Hills where General Rawat was to address a gathering at the Defence Services Staff College.

The mortal remains of Rawat and his wife Madhulika will be taken to their official residence on Kamaraj Marg, Delhi, at 11 am on Friday. The bodies, escorted by military bands of all three services, will be taken to Brar crematorium in Dhaula Kuan at around 2 pm. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country's top military brass on Thursday paid homage to the former defence chief and 12 other crash victims at the Palam air base 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, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were among those who paid homage to the deceased at the ceremony.

Heart-wrenching scenes were seen at the Palam airport as 13 caskets were lined up inside a hangar in presence of their family members.

An Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft carrying the bodies from the Sulur airbase touched down at the Palam technical airport around 7.35 pm.

Three of 13 bodies identified so far: Indian Army

Only three of the 13 bodies have been identified so far - Gen Rawat and his wife, Madhulika Rawat and Brigadier LS Lidder. Army officials said the bodies of those identified will be released to the families for last rites.

The other bodies will be kept at the mortuary at the Army Base Hospital till they are identified.

The bodies of Gen Rawat and his wife will be kept at their 3 Kamaraj Marg residence for the general public to pay their final respects from 11 am to 12.30 pm Friday.

The slot between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm will be kept for military personnel to pay their respects to the outstanding commander and his wife.

Brigadier Lidder's funeral would be held at 9 am.

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.

Captain Varun Singh shifted to Command Hospital in Bengaluru

The lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Bengaluru.

Group Captain Singh had gone to Sulur from Wellington to receive General Rawat. He is on life support, Rajnath Singh told parliament today.

Candle light tributes paid toth late CDS in Kashmir

Candle light tributes were on Thursday paid at various places in Kashmir to General Bipin Rawat who, along with 12 others.

General Officer Commanding of the Army's Chinar Corps Lt Gen D P Pandey said the people of the Valley have lost more than anyone else in Gen Rawat's death.

Srinagar-based Defence PRO Col Emron Musavi said candle light tributes were paid to Gen Rawat in Baramulla, Kupwara, Keran and Machhal sector near the Line of Control (LoC).

Several people in these areas took out candle light vigils to pay homage to the Chief of Defence Staff.

Aggrieved by the untimely demise of India's first CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, around 150 residents of Machhal village carried out a candle light march in his memory. They also paid homage to Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other Army personnel who were also martyred in the tragic Mi-17 V5 crash at Coonor, TamilNadu, the PRO said.

He said Gen Rawat and Brigadier LS Lidder - who was also killed in the helicopter accident - had visited the Macchal Sector on 27 July this year.

The congregation kept two-minute silence for the departed souls and prayed for their eternal peace.

Gen Rawat will always be remembered by Kashmiris for his untiring efforts to ensure security and to bring in peace and stability in J&K, the PRO said.

He said locals in Keran paid tributes to Gen Rawat, along the banks of Kishanganga river. Candle lights marked the LoC at Keran sector.

Sri Lankan President mourns Bipin Rawat's demise

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has condoled the death of General Bipin Rawat. In a tweet, President Rajapaksa said, "Deeply saddened to hear of the sudden demise of General #BipinRawat, Mrs Rawat & others in the tragic helicopter accident in Tamil Nadu. I extend my condolences to the families and to all Indians on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka."

Sri Lanka Army chief General Shavendra Silva said that he was absolutely devastated and saddened to hear of the tragic helicopter crash carrying India's first Chief of Defence Staff.

He said that Gen. Rawat, a long-standing true friend of the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka, in his former capacity as Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, visited Sri Lanka in May 2018 for four days, inaugurated a Signal Laboratory of the Sri Lanka Army and explored new areas of cooperation between the two Armies.

General Rawat, 63, took charge as India's first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2020. The position was created to integrate Army, Navy and the Air Force. A former Army Chief, he was also appointed the head of the newly-created Department of Military Affairs.

The general joined the army as a second lieutenant in 1978 and had four decades of service behind him, having commanded forces in Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Actual Control bordering China.

With inputs from agencies



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