India Bids Adieu As CDS Bipin Rawat Laid to Rest With Full Military Honours

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat on Friday cremated with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment.

Around 800 service personnel took part in the cremation ceremony of CDS and he was accorded a sombre 17-gun salute in line with protocol. The Last Post and Rouse were played by tri-services buglers, following which the funeral pyre was lit by her daughters Kritika and Tarini.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid his tribute at the crematorium while other family members also joined the daughters in paying their last respects.

Along with around 800 army personnel, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenin and British High Commissioner to India Alexander Ellis are also present at the funeral site to attend the last rites of India's first CDS.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also paid tribute to General Rawat and his wife at the funeral site and also the top military commanders of Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh joined the CDS in his final journey.

CDS and his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other personnel died in a helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. On Thursday, the mortal remains of everyone were brought to Delhi.

Visitors were also allowed to offer their condolences from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, when the remains were taken to his residence.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with three service chiefs – Army Chief General MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari had paid their last respects to General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others.

Meanwhile, the last rites of Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, who was the Defence Advisor of General Bipin Rawat, was held at 9.15 am in Delhi Cantonment.

Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and the heads of the three services were among those present. General Rawat's daughters, as well as Brigadier L S Lidder's wife and daughter, were seen comforting sad family members.

PM Modi subsequently announced on Twitter that he had paid his condolences to the deceased and that "India would never forget their wonderful contribution.

Only three people — General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and Brigadier Lidder — have been formally confirmed so far, according to the Army.

The remaining ten persons will be identified by DNA comparison and ocular identification, which might take some time.

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