New Delhi: India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other defence personnel died in the IAF Mi-17 V5 chopper crash in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday. There was only one survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, Shaurya Chakra. Following are the other defence personnel who were killed in the crash:
Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan
The Commanding Officer of the Sulur-based 109 Helicopter Squadron, he was the pilot-in-command of the Mi-17 V5 helicopter that crashed shortly after it took off from the air force base in Sulur at 11.45 am, Coimbatore, on Wednesday for Wellington in the Nilgiri Hills.
He leaves behind his wife, a 12-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son.
Wg Cdr Chauhan was the youngest of five siblings, with four elder sisters. After passing out of Sainik School at Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, he joined the air force in 2000. The officer married in 2007.
Squadron Leader K Singh was the co-pilot of the chopper.
Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder, SM, VSM
Set for promotion as Major General, Brig Lidder was the defence assistant to Gen Rawat. He had served as India’s defence attache to Kazakhstan and was a counterterrorism specialist. He was a recipient of Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
His daughter Aashna’s book ‘In Search of a Title: Musings of a Teenager’ was released on November 27. Gen Rawat’s wife had attended the book launch.
“We trained together at #NDA. We fought terrorists together in #Kashmir. In the loss of Brig LS Lidder, SM, VSM today, India has lost one of its brightest & bravest officers & I have lost a friend. A decorated soldier, caring husband & doting father, you will be missed, Tony,” MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said in a tweet.
Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh
He was Gen Rawat’s staff officer. “Lt Col Harjinder Singh was commissioned under my command. He was my Adjutant and a fabulous officer. I will miss you, my ever-smiling Harry. May you Rest in Peace,” Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan (retd) wrote on Twitter.
Group Captain Varun Singh, Shaurya Chakra
He is the sole survivor of the crash. He was awarded the Shaurya Chakra on this year’s Independence Day for saving his LCA Tejas fighter during an aerial emergency in 2020.
Grp Capt Singh was admitted to the Military Hospital in Wellington after the crash. He is likely to be shifted to the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru. According to reports, Grp Capt Singh is “critical but stable at the moment”. He has suffered severe burns.
Briefing Parliament on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in the Military Hospital at Wellington and all efforts are being made to save his life.”
Grp Capt Singh is the Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington, where Gen Rawat was scheduled to address cadet officers. Grp Capt Singh had travelled to Sulur to receive Gen Rawat.
Junior Warrant Officers (JWOs) Rana Pratap Das and Pradeep A
JWO Das was a native of Talcher in Angul district, Odisha. Hailing from Krushnachandrapur village in Talcher, Das had been in the IAF for 12 years. He was stationed in New Delhi, where he lived with his wife and son.
Armymen Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Teja.
Lance Naik Vivek Kumar was from Jaisinghpur area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. He was the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of Gen Rawat.
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