Final farewell to Indian Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat

New Delhi – Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder, who died in a helicopter crash, were laid to rest with teary eyes. On Friday, a large crowd had gathered at General Bipin Rawat’s funeral procession at Brar Square crematorium in the Delhi Cantonment area. ‘Bipin Rawat Amar Rahe (May Bipin Rawat live long)’, ‘Victory to the Indian Army’, ‘Victory to Mother India’, such slogans were echoing in the sky at this time.

Two days ago, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 Army officers were killed in a helicopter crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The whole country has been in mourning since the news of the untimely death of this brave son of Mother India. At Palam Airport on Thursday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to General Bipin Rawat and 12 others. They were killed in the helicopter crash and offered condolences to their families. The bodies of General Bipin Rawat and his wife were kept at his residence in Delhi on Friday morning to allow people to pay their respects. Then in the evening, his funeral procession left his residence to Brar crematorium. Crowds had gathered on both sides to pay their last respects to General Rawat.

Some political leaders and 800 army officers were present at the Brar cemetery. The funeral took place after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Army, Chief of Air Force, Chief of Navy, other army officers and dignitaries paid floral tributes to General Rawat. The two daughters of General Bipin Rawat performed the funeral rites and paid their last respects to their parents. The whole country was sad to see this scene.

General Rawat was given a 17-gun salute as per military tradition. Moreover, Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder was cremated at Brar Cemetery earlier in the afternoon. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior officials were present on occasion. ‘The grief of the husband’s departure is great. But he was a soldier and I am the soldier’s wife. So we must give him a smiling send-off,’ exclaimed Geetika Lidder, wife of Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder. The whole country was moved by these words and the final farewell given to him by their daughter.