Gen Bipin Rawat passes away: Netizens anguished by sudden demise of India's first CDS

India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 other people on board an Indian Air Force helicopter died in a crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. According to a statement from the IAF, Group Captain Varun Singh with injuries is currently under treatment at a military hospital in Wellington. 

Gen Bipin Rawat was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiri Hills) to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course. All communications with the helicopter were lost just before the crash between Coimbatore and Sulur in Tamil Nadu. As soon as the tragic development was confirmed by the IAF, condolences and tributes started pouring in for General Rawat and others. 

India mourns the untimely demise of Gen Bipin Rawat & others

Political leaders, sports personalities, actors and people from various fields took to social media to send condolences to the families of the people killed in the accident. While remembering General Rawat's legacy, netizens also highlighted his sacrifices and achievements for the nation. Here are some of the reactions: 

The IAF said a Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the accident, involving a Mi-17VH helicopter that took off from the Sulur IAF Station in nearby Coimbatore. The helicopter carrying Rawat and others had left Sulur IAF station around 10.30 am on Wednesday and was supposed to land at DSSC in Wellington at Udhagamandalam about an hour later. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi about the crash and the IAF chief has been asked to reach the site. Krishnaswamy - an eyewitness of the crash in Tamil Naud's Upper Coonoor-  said that the chopper crashed into a tree making a loud noise following which it was engulfed in flames. The locals immediately alerted the police and fire department, he said. Detailing on the incident, the eyewitness revealed that he saw the chopper collide with the tree and burst into flames on falling to the ground.

The mortal remains of CDS General Bipin Rawat and his wife along with other Armed Forces personnel killed in the chopper crash are expected to arrive in Delhi by Thursday evening. General Rawat, 63, took charge as India's first Chief of Defence Staff in January 2019. Before that, he served as Chief of Army Staff from January 2017 to December 2019.