New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the country's top military brass on Thursday paid homage to India's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, Brig LS Lidder and 10 more defence personnel at the Palam airbase after their bodies were brought to Delhi in a military aircraft.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, Army Chief MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, Air Chief Marshal AVR Chaudhari and Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar were among those who paid homage to the deceased at a sombre ceremony.
"Paid my last respects to Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. India will never forget their rich contribution," Modi tweeted.
Heart-wrenching scenes were seen at the Palam airport as 13 caskets were lined up inside a hangar in presence of their family members.
The prime minister also reached out to the family members of the deceased and talked to them for a few minutes.
The 13 were killed when their helicopter crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu in an air tragedy that triggered grief across the country.
An Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft carrying the bodies from the Sulur airbase touched down at the Palam technical airport around 7:35 pm.
Only three of the 13 bodies have been identified so far -- Gen Rawat and his wife, Madhulika Rawat, and Brigadier LS Lidder.
Army officials said the bodies of those identified will be released to families for last rites.
The other bodies will be kept at the mortuary at the Army Base Hospital till they are identified.
"The mortal remains will be released to the next of kin only after the positive identification of bodies. All possible measures are being taken for positive identification considering the sensitivities and emotional well-being of the loved ones," the Indian Army had stated earlier, while adding, positive identification of the mortal remains is difficult because of the severity of the crash.
In addition to scientific methods, the Army has also sought assistance from family members.
Appropriate military rites of all personnel will be ensured in consultation with close relatives once the process of positive identification is completed, the Indian Army informed.
Besides Gen Rawat, his wife and Brig Lidder, 10 armed forces personnel were killed in the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash which is one of the biggest air accidents in India in decades involving senior military officers.
The other personnel killed in the accident are Lt Col Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja.
The lone survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, is currently undergoing treatment at a military hospital in Bengaluru.
The bodies of Gen Rawat and his wife will be kept at their 3 Kamaraj Marg residence for the general public to pay their final respects from 11 am to 12:30 pm Friday.
The slot between 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm will be kept for military personnel to pay their respects to the outstanding commander and his wife.
The final journey of Gen Rawat from his residence to the Brar Square crematorium is scheduled to start at around 2 pm. The funeral is scheduled at 4 pm. Brigadier Lidder's funeral would be held at 9 am.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has put into motion a tri-services inquiry into the helicopter crash in Coonoor on Wednesday noon. This is led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh.
The Indian Air Force has also ordered a probe into the crash as nothing much is known about how the accident took place. Initial reports indicate that poor visibility might be a reason.
All efforts were being made to save IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the crash, the Defence Minister said.
(With inputs from PTI)
