General Bipin Rawat laid to rest with full military honours

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat was cremated with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium in New Delhi on Friday.

Gen Rawat, his wife, and 11 other defence personnel were killed when a Mi17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

The mortal remains of General Bipin Rawat and his wife were cremated at Brar Square cremation ground. Their two daughters performed the last rites.

Also watch: Wife & daughter's tearful goodbye to Brig. Lidder who died in chopper crash with CDS Rawat

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union minister Kiren Rijiju, Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain, and British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis were among several others who paid tribute to Gen Rawat and his wife at the crematorium.

Defence officials of several countries also paid tribute to them. The CDS was accorded a 17-gun salute, according to laid down protocols. A ceremonial battery of 2233 Field Regiment provided gun carriage. About 800 service personnel were in attendance for the military funeral of the CDS.

As India's first CDS, he was tasked with bringing in theatre command and jointness among the three services, and he was pushing these with a tough approach and specific timelines in the last two years.

The mortal remains were kept at their official residence here before cremation, to allow people to pay respects.