Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika, Brig Lidder and 10 other armed forces personnel were among the killed in the chopper crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
A second-generation Army officer a decorated soldier, Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder who worked extensively on tri-services reforms as the defence assistant to CDS General Bipin Rawat was due for promotion soon. He was preparing for his next posting after serving as a key member in Gen Rawat's team for more than a year and was set to be promoted as Major General soon.
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika, Brig Lidder and 10 other armed forces personnel were among the killed in the chopper crash near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, in one of the biggest air accidents in India in decades involving senior military officers.
Brig Lidder served extensively in counter-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir and commanded a brigade along India's borders with China. A defence assistant to Gen Rawat, Brig Lidder played an important role in planning India's higher defence reforms under which an ambitious roadmap has been drawn to roll out tri-services theatre commands to ensure greater coordination among the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.
A recipient of the Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal, Brig Lidder had his roots in Haryana's Panchkula and served as India's defence attached to Kazakhstan in his distinguished career. He was commissioned into 2 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in December 1990, a battalion he later commanded.
In a Twitter post, former Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, who has served in the Army, described Brig Lidder as one of the “bravest officers”.
We trained together at . We fought terrorists together in . 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. pic.twitter.com/4cIV5WEtVr
— RajyavardhanRathore (@Ra_THORe)Brig Lidder is survived by his wife and a daughter.