Dec 10, 2021, 3:53 PM IST
A nation of a billion is today united in grief over the demise of one of the country's finest soldiers. Tributes continue to pour in for Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 12 others who perished in the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor. One such tribute is etched in blood. As a mark of respect to the late General, a school teacher in Karnataka has made a portrait in blood.
The video of Sangamesh Bagali from Bagalkot in North Karnataka has gone viral on social media. Bagali is a teacher at the Rabkavi Banhatti Hosuru R M S A High School and teaches drawing and sketching to students. In another video doing the rounds on social media from Madikeri in south Karnataka, a covid warrior named Sathya who helped in disposing of the Covid-19 deceased changed his hairstyle depicting General Bipin Rawat's face.
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On Wednesday, General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 armed forces personnel died after the Russian-made helicopter crashed at Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. Rawat and others were on board an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter that crashed at Katteri in Coonoor. General Rawat was on his way to the prestigious Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) at Wellington. But his helicopter went down barely seven minutes from the destination. An inquiry is underway to ascertain the cause of the mishap.
Following the crash, locals who rushed to the spot recalled seeing the helicopter in flames. Multiple media reports suggest that when the rescuers extricated General Rawat from the downed helicopter, he was alive and asked for water and also told his name in a very feeble voice. He was rushed to hospital and by 6:20 pm, he was declared dead. The body of General Rawat, his wife and 11 other personnel were flown to Delhi and laid to rest with full military honours.
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