New Delhi: The country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat laid to final rest with full military honours, 17-gun salute at Brar Square Crematorium in Delhi Cantonment.
His last rites were performed along with his wife Madhulika Rawat, who too lost her life in Tamil Nadu Chopper Crash. AIR correspondent reports their daughters Kritika and Tarini performed their last rites.
The funeral procession carrying the Mortal remains of General Rawat and Madhulika Rawat began at 2 pm from his official residence three Kamraj Marg. As the mortal remains carried in a casket wrapped in a tricolour, was moved to a gun carriage, decorated with flowers, people showered petals and raised slogans in his praise. Military personnel drawn from all the three services marched towards the streets as drummers played along in tribute to India’s first Chief of Defence Staff.
Thousands thronged the route taken by General Rawat’s procession to pay last respects to the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff were raising slogans of Bharat Mata Ki Jai, General Rawat Amar Rahe and Uttarakhand ka heera. A total of 800 service personnel were in attendance for the military funeral of the CDS. With moist eyes people from various walks of life bid tearful adieu to General Rawat at Brar Square crematorium.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the three service chiefs were among those who paid their last respects at the Brar square crematorium. Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India and Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India also paid their tributes at Brar Square crematorium. Military commanders of Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh were also present at Brar square.
Earlier, the mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife were kept at their official residence before cremation, to allow people to pay respects. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and several Union Ministers paid tributes to General Bipin Rawat and his wife at his official residence.
Chief Justice of India, Justice N V Ramana, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, BJP President JP Nadda, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Members of Parliament, Chief Ministers of several states, Army Chief General MM Naravane, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, several Officers of tri services and foreign dignitaries also paid tributes to departed souls.
The last rites of Brigadier LS Lidder were performed this morning. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid tribute to him at Brar Square in Delhi Cantt. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Army Chief General Manoj Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal Vivek Chaudhari and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval among others also paid tributes to Brigadier Lidder.
