General Bipin Rawat's demise: The last salute to the departed

Over a billion Indians united in mourning the demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the men in uniform who perished in the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.

Mortail remains of helicopter crash victims

There was poignant silence in the Palam airport hangar where mortal remains of India's highest military official General Bipin Rawat and 12 others who died in the MI-17 V5 helicopter crash laid draped in the Indian flag. President of India Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs paid tributes to the deceased and offered their condolences to the grieving family members. 

Over a billion Indians united in mourning the demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the men in uniform who perished in the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.

Image: Brigadier LS Lidder

Brigadier LS Lidder

Defence Assistant to the Chief of Defence Services; commissioned to JAKRIF in December 1990
Hailing from: Panchkula, Haryana

Image: Lt Col Harjinder Singh

Lt Col Harjinder Singh 

Staff Officer to the Chief of Defence Services; commissioned into the Army on September 2001.
Hailing from: Panchkula, Haryana

Image: Havildar Satpal Rai

Havildar Satpal Rai

Commissioned in the Indian Army in March 2002; served in Siachen, Naushera, Nagaland and Manipur.
Hailing from: Darjeeling, West Bengal

Image: Naik Gursewak Singh

Naik Gursewak Singh
9 Para (Special Forces)

Commissioned into the Army in March 2004; served in Ladakh, J&K (Poonch-Rajouri, South & North Kashmir); demolition specialist; expert in unarmed combat and close-quarter battle.
Hailing from: Tarn Taran, Punjab

Image: Lance Naik Vivek Kumar

Lance Naik Vivek Kumar
1 Para (Special Forces)

Commissioned into the Army in December 2012; served in south and north Kashmir, Sino-Indian border ahead of Spiti; specialist in combat freefall, communication and unarmed combat expert 
Hailing from: Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Image: Lance Naik Jitender Kumar

Lance Naik Jitender Kumar
3 Para (Special Forces)

Commissioned into the Army in March 2011; served in the desert sector along Indo-Pak border, Sino-Indian border near Pithoragarh and J&K; expert sniper and communications specialist.
Hailing from: Sehore, Madhya Pradesh

Lance Naik B Sai Teja

Lance Naik B Sai Teja
11 Para (Special Forces)

Commissioned into the Army in June 2013; served in super high altitude in Arunachal Pradesh along Sino-Indian border and counter-terrorist operations in Manipur and Nagaland; expert in mixed martial arts, unarmed combat, communications and electronic warfare.
Hailing from: Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh

Image: Wg Cdr PS Chauhan

Wing Commander PS Chauhan

Commissioned in the Indian Air Force in June 2002 as a helicopter pilot
Hailing from: Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Image: Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh

Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh

Commissioned in Indian Air Force on June 2015 as a helicopter pilot 
Hailing from: Ghardana Khurd, Rajasthan.

Image: Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das

Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das

Enrolled in the Indian Air Force in June 2006 and was a Flight Engineer. 
Hailing from: Angul, Odisha

Image: JWO A Pradeep

Junior Warrant Officer A Pradeep 

Enrolled in the Indian Air Force on January 2004 and was a Flight Gunner; recognised for flood rescue operations in Kerala in 2018
Hailing from: Ponnukkara in Thrissur, Kerala