CDS General Bipin Rawat Dies In Chopper Crash: An Unthinkable National Tragedy, Our Salute!
Just five minutes
away from the destination the chopper crashed in Coonoor amid the forests of
the mountainous district of Nilgiris around 12.20 PM. As the area was almost inaccessible
the first ones to come to know of the crash were the local tribals who alerted
the police. A lot of time thus was wasted before the actual rescue operations
began. As per the tribal eye-witnesses shown by some news channels the helicopter
reportedly hit a tree amid heavy fog and burst into flames before hitting the ground.
The Tamil Nadu government had confirmed 5 fatalities, 2 badly burnt passengers
taken to military hospitals and rescue operations going on for the rest. The ANI
(Asian News International) had confirmed 13 fatalities out of the 14 quoting
sources, the victims being identified through the DNA testing. No information
about the condition of General Bipin Rawat and his wife was available till the
last reports came in.
In sad reality, it
is hoping against hope for the safety of the top General. Matters about high
officials always involve a protocol and nothing is confirmed or announced in a
hurry. The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh, is the proper authority to
make the final announcement after confirming fully with the Chief of the IAF. First,
the Defence Minister briefed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi; then he consulted
the IAF Chief who immediately rushed to the site of the tragic crash; and then
the PM in consultation with the Defence Minister had called for a Cabinet
meeting and a highest-level security session later in the evening. The Defence Minister
then visited the residence of General Rawat in Delhi which was significant. The
President of India, Ramnath Kovind, had also canceled his Mumbai event and
rushed back to the capital. Dignitaries including the Army Chief and others have
also been visiting the General’s residence. All these are pointers to an
unthinkable tragedy.
The IAF has already
ordered an inquiry into the crash. Many experts believe weather conditions have
something to do with it. Tamil Nadu had witnessed unprecedented rains in the
recent days and today it was reportedly very bad weather and heavy mist in the
Coonoor hills. However, the emergency controls in the arguably most advanced
chopper ever should have been able to maneuver and land safely, and the failure
to do so with none other than the Chief of the military on board confounds one
and all. The Defence Minister was to address the Parliament which is in session
this evening, but it was then deferred to sometime tomorrow, possibly considering
all aspects of a very sensitive incident involving national security and bilateral
cum multilateral relations.
The sad news has come. The IAF has confirmed just now that the brave General and Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat (1958-2021), his wife and 11 other officials have died in the crash. Our tributes and homage to all the martyrs, our condolences to the General's and other officers' families. The whole of India has been praying for the General’s safety. But God always has other plans. An irreparable loss for India.
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