Mi17V5 Tragedy: Know the soldiers who went down with the ill-fated IAF chopper

A total of 13 people, including the nation's first ever Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika, were killed as Mi-17V5 Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crashed at Coonoor in the hills of Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. Here is a brief of profile of the soldiers who went down with the ill-fated chopper.

Hyderabad: Mortal remains of all 13 died in the Coonoor air crash have been transported to Delhi from Sulur in Tamil Nadu on Thursday.

The victims of the ill-fated crash include Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K. Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep A, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik Sai Teja and Havaldar Satpal along with CDS Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat.

As the nation bids farewell to the deceased in ill-fated Indian Air Force helicopter crash, here is a brief profile of the departed soldiers of the country.

Lance Naik Teja from Chittor, Andhra Pradesh

Son of a farmer, Lance Naik B. Sai Teja, who was serving as the Personal Security Officer to the CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, made a video call to his wife and children hours before the crash, said his grieving family.

Sai Teja (27) was from Eguva Regada village in Kurabala Kota mandal, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. He is survived by wife Shyamala, son Mokshagana, (4) and a daughter Darshini (2).

Sai Teja joined the Indian Army in 2012 as a sepoy and was later selected for para commando training. Last year, he was appointed as Principal Staff Officers (PSO) to the CDS.

Sai Teja's family received the shocking news of his death in the crash, barely a few hours after he spoke to them over the phone. The soldier also made a video call to his wife and children at 8.45 am on Wednesday.

Lance Naik Vivek Kumar from Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Lance Naik Vivek Kumar from Jaisinghpur, ​​Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh was another soldier who lost his life in the helicopter crash. Vivek Kumar was the Personal Security Officer of General Bipin Rawat. State Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Jairam Thakur have also expressed grief over the accident.

Soldier from Tarn Taran, Chandigarh

Jawan Naik Gursewak Singh who lost his life in the tragic crash hails from Dode village in Tarn Taran of Sodhian. Gursewak Singh was posted in the Para Special Forces unit of the Army. Gurbaksh Singh, brother of martyr Gursewak Singh, said that he got the news of this incident on the phone. Gursewak Singh was recruited in 2001-02 and got married in 2011. They have 3 children which include 2 girls and 1 boy.

Havilder Satpal Rai from Darjeeling, West Bengal

Another victim Havilder Satpal Rai, the security guard of Bipin Rawat, from Gorkha Rifles, hails from Manedara, Glenburn, Darjeeling. People of his hometown paid homage to him by lighting candles at Hashmi Chowk in Siliguri.

Darjeeling District Magistrate S Ponnambalam said, "we came to know about his death and sent condolences to the bereaved family."

Before boarding the Mi-17V-5 chopper, Satpal Rai spoke over phone to his family members residing in Darjeeling, West Bengal. He informed his wife that he will be going to Tamil Nadu along with the chief of defence staff.

She feels that her husband died while serving the nation. So in the midst of the ocean of sorrow she is still proud of her husband.

Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das from Angul, Odisha

The deceased Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) Rana Pratap Das (35) who hails from Krushna Chandrapur village, Angul district, Odisha, was in the force for the last 12 years. He is survived by his wife, who is a dentist in the IAF, and a one-year-old son. He has an elder sister. He had been in Tamil Nadu for the past one month while his wife Shivangi is posted in Bihar.

Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep Arakkal, Kerala

Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep A, was enrolled in Jan 04 and was the Flight Gunner of the ill-fated helicopter. He had been posted to Sulur air base in Coimbatore only six months ago. He is from the Thrissur district in Kerala. His father Radhakrishnan Veettil is unaware of the tragedy as he is on a ventilator.

Squadron leader Kuldeep Rao from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan

Another victim Squadron Leader Kuldeep Rao as a resident of Ghaldana village from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. Rao was recruited in the Air Force in 2013. He studied BSc IT in Mumbai, staying with his father Randhir Singh Rao, who has retired from the Indian Navy. He got married to Yashwani Dhaka on 19 November 2019 in Meerut. One of his sisters, Abhita, is working as Deputy Commandant in the Indian Coast Guard.

Kuldeep Singh Rao's family is living in Jaipur. Family members say that his mortal remains would reach the village by late evening today.

Jitendra Kumar Verma from Dhamanda, Madhya Pradesh

Jitendra Kumar Verma (31) was involved in the Special Forces of CDS Bipin Rawat. Top officials of the administration reached Jitendra's house in the village of Dhamanda and met the family members. Jitendra is survived by a four-year-old girl and a one-year-old son. His parents father Shivraj Verma and mother Dhapi Bai are alive, and has two brothers and two sisters.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh has condoled the death of Jitendra Kumar Verma. Shivraj Singh Chouhan wrote in the tweet, "Regards tribute to Jitendra Kumar ji, the son of the soil of Madhya Pradesh. The heart-wrenching helicopter accident that took away CDS Bipin Rawat ji from us, Sehore's son lost his life while discharging his duty. May God grant peace to the departed soul and place him at the feet of Sri."

Lt.Col. Harjinder Singh, valiant son-in-law of Salmaru village, Karnataka

Another victim, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh was a dear son-in-law of Salmaru village of Karkala taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka.

Harjinder fell in love with Prafulla, a girl from Salmaru village, and married her with the permission of both families. The couple has a daughter.

Speaking to the media, Prafulla's elder sister Pusha said, "Harjinder Singh is my brother-in-law. He visited our town four years back. He is very nice person. He treated everyone with love and affection. We are shocked by the tragedy. I pray god to give peace to his and his colleague's soul & give strength to their family members to bear the pain".

Pusha's husband Valerian also remembers the goodness of Harjinder Singh and said, "He is very good person like a cool kid. We had seen him 3-4 years back. But we did not get chance to see him before his death. We feel very sad. We got to know the tragedy via TV channels. Prafulla's brother went to pay last respects to Harjinder Singh."

Brigadier LS Lidder from Panchkula

Brigadier LS Lidder, a resident of Panchkula, was originally from Punjab, but later his family shifted to Panchkula. He was living in Delhi with his wife Geetika and their 16-year-old daughter. His father, Late Colonel Mehndi Singh had come to Panchkula from Punjab in 1989. Before leaving for Panchkula, Brigadier Lidder had studied the National Defense Academy, Khadakwasla.

His mother is currently living with her sister Sukhwinder Cheema. Brigadier Lidder, who was decorated with the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal, was inducted into the 2nd Battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in December 1990 after passing out from the Indian Military Academy.

He later commanded the same battalion. Brigadier Lidder worked against terrorism in the LAC as well as in Jammu and Kashmir. He commanded a brigade along the border in the northern sector. Apart from serving as Adjutant of the Indian Military Academy and Director in the Directorate of Military Operations, he was posted as Defense Attache at the Indian Embassy in Kazakhstan. He has also been an alumnus of National Defense College, New Delhi.

The lone survivor from the crash, Group Captain Varun Singh is battling the injuries at a hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Although critical, the military sources say the Grp Captain is stable.