On Wednesday (December 8) an IAF helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on board crashed near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, bringing back memories of an incident he survived back in 2015 in Nagaland's Dimapur.
On Wednesday (December 8), India was shaken by the news of an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and other defence personnel on board crashing in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.
Following the tragic incident, sources said that 13 of the 14 personnel involved in the military chopper crash had been confirmed dead. Sources added a DNA testing would be carried out to identify the bodies. However, there was no official word on General Bipin Rawat's condition. Read more
Bodies recovered from the site of the IAF chopper crash between Coimbatore and Sulur were taken to Military Hospital, Wellington in Tamil Nadu. General Bipin Rawat, who took over as India's first CDS on December 31 2019, was going to the Defence Staff College in Wellington when the incident occurred.
The shocking incident has brought back stark memories of a February 2015 Cheetah crash in Nagaland's Dimapur district that Bipin Rawat had survived. He was a Lieutenant General at that time. The helicopter, which was on a routine sortie, had barely climbed 20 meters before crashing seconds after taking off from the Rangapahar helipad due to an engine failure.
Two pilots and a Colonel, too, survived the tragic incident back then. General Rawat had reportedly sustained minor injuries in the 2015 incident. The IAF had back then ordered an Inquiry into the incident.
Following Wednesday's tragic crash, the Indian Air Force, in a statement, confirmed that an Inquiry had been ordered to ascertain the cause of the incident. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is monitoring the situation following the crash of the IAF chopper carrying CDS Bipin Rawat & others. Singh, who also paid a visit to the General's residence, has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident.
According to reports, the Government is also likely to issue a statement in the Parliament tomorrow on the chopper crash. This news comes even as Army Chief General MM Naravane briefs Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over the incident. Meanwhile, political leaders cutting across parties expressed grief over the incident, with prayer pouring in for CDS General Bipin Rawat's speedy recovery.