General Bipin Rawat's Last Rites To Be Performed With Full Military Honours

NEW DELHI: Late CDS General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat will be honoured at the Delhi Cantonment today.

Their lifeless remains of General Rawat and others were brought to Palam Airbase in Delhi from Sulur in caskets wrapped in the Tricolour.

Visitors will be allowed to offer their condolences from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, when the remains will be taken to his residence, followed by a funeral service that will begin at the Kamraj Marg and finish at the Brar Square cremation in Delhi.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with three service chiefs – Army Chief General MM Naravane, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari paid their last respects to General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others.

Meanwhile, the last rites of Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, who was the Defence Advisor of General Bipin Rawat, was held at 9.15 am in Delhi Cantonment.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and the heads of the three services were among those present. General Rawat's daughters, as well as Brigadier L S Lidder's wife and daughter, were seen comforting sad family members.

PM Modi subsequently announced on Twitter that he had paid his condolences to the deceased and that "India would never forget their wonderful contribution." Only three people — General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and Brigadier Lidder — have been formally confirmed thus far, according to the Army, and their burial will take place on Friday. The bodies of the remaining 10 will be stored at the Army Base Hospital's morgue until a definite confirmation can be made. After that, the remains will be handed over to their relatives for last rituals. On Friday morning, the CDS's body will be laid to rest at his house, 3, Kamaraj Marg. From 11 a.m. until 12.30 p.m., civil officials and civilians will be able to pay their respects. After that, military personnel will be permitted inside. His body will be transferred to the Brar Square crematorium in Delhi Cantonment at 2:00 p.m.

The appearance of the remains following the collision, according to defence sources, rendered recognition impossible. The remaining ten persons will be identified by DNA comparison and ocular identification, which might take some time.