Last rites of Gen Rawat to be performed today with full military honours

ew Delhi: The mortal remains of CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat — both died in an IAF chopper crash in the Nilgris on Wednesday — were brought to their residence in 3 Kamraj Marg in NewDelhi Friday morning.

Home Minister Amit Shah paid tribute to CDS General Bipin Rawat at his residence.

India's first CDS' final journey is scheduled to start from his residence in 3 Kamraj Marg to the Brar Square Crematorium at around 2 pm later today.

The security arrangements at the Brar Square Crematorium have been beefed up with many important people from the government and political parties are expected to be in attendance.

Civilians will be allowed to pay homage to General Rawat from 11 am to 12.30 am at his Kamraj Marg residence today while the military personnel will pay their last respects between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm.

Army Commander of Sri Lanka General Shavendra Silva and Lt General Waker-us-Zaman, Principal Staff Officer of Bangladesh Armed Forces Division will also be attending the funeral ceremony.

General Rawat and 12 others died in an IAF helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh, who was killed in the helicopter crash on Wednesday, was laid to rest by his family members at the Brar Square Crematorium. Apart from his family, which includes his wife Geetika Lidder and their daughter Aashna Lidder, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, former Union Minister and Retired Army officer Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MOS Ajay Bhat, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force and other top military personnel were present at the funeral rites.

Lidder was born on June 26, 1969, and was commissioned to Jammu and Kashmir and Rifles (JAKRIF) in December 1990. He was the Defence attache to the CDS since January 2021. Brig Lidder commanded the Brigade on the northern border and was NDC last year, an instructor at the NDA and CO 2 JAKRIF at the UN in Congo. He had been posted as Defence attache at Kazakhstan. Later, he became the Director at Military Operations Directorate