Coonoor, (Tamil Nadu), Dec 9 (UNI) The bodies of India's first Chief
of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others, who died
in an IAF chopper crash near here yesterday, was taken to Sulur air
base, after Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
M K Stalin and others paid their last respects at the Madras Regimental
Centre (MRC) in Wellington today.
Amid tight security, the bodies were taken in ambulances to Sulur air
base by road, from where it would be flown to New Delhi by a special
IAF aircraft for last rites.
It would take about two hours to cover the 80 km distance from Coonoor
to Sulur air base.
Air Chief Marshal, accompanied by senior officials, visited the crash site
today and held inquiries with the locals at Katteri who had witnessed the
crash.
Police have also started field level investigations with the locals and eye
witnesses.
Earlier, the black box or the Cockpit Voice, Flight Data Recorder of the
ill-fated chopper was recovered from the crash site this morning.
Official sources said the balck box were found in the dense forest
area of Nachapurachathiram near the crash site at Katteri.
An analysis of the Flight Data Recorder will give more insight into
the crash which occurred soon after the chopper took off from Sulur
air base to Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington where
Gen Bipin Rawat was slated to deliver a talk to the young officers
of his alma mater.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin and his Cabinet colleagues
visited the MRC and paid his last respects to Bipin Rawat and
12 other army personnel.
After placing a wreath on the mortal remains of Gen Rawat, the
Chief Minister paid floral tributes to each of the bodies of the army
officers, who have perished in the crash.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhary, members of the three defence services,
and Telangana Governor Ms Tamilisai Soundararajan also paid their
last respects to the chopper crash victims.
Earlier, the bodies of the Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat
and 11 others, draped in National flag, were brought in a flower
bedecked military vehicle and lined up at the college premises
for the dignitaries to pay their last respects.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, senior military officials, Tamil
Nadu Ministers K N Nehru, M P Saminathan and Ramachandran,
Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu and DGP C Sylendra Babu and senior
police officials paid homage to the mortal remains of the chopper
victims.
The IAF has ordered a high level inquiry into the crash which
took place shortly after it took off from Sulur air base en route
to Wellington and the entire crash site was cordoned off by the
military forces.
UNI GV 1250