India's Integrated Defence Staff pays tribute to late Group Captain Varun Singh

The Indian Air Force (IAF) announced on December 14, that Group Captain Varun Singh, the sole survivor of IAF Helicopter Crash crash in Coonoor last week, has succumed to his injuries. After the devastating chopper catastrophe on December 8, which killed India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and other armed forces personnel on board, Varun Singh was receiving treatment at the Command Hospital Air Force in Bengaluru.

On Twitter, all ranks of the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff expressed their condolences for Group Captain Varun Singh's demise. The tweet from official handle of HQ Integrated Defence Staff, read, "All Ranks of HQ Integrated Defence Staff pay heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of Gp Capt Varun Singh, who succumbed to the injuries sustained in the unfortunate helicopter accident near Coonoor on 08 Dec 2021. Jai Hind."

There had been a flood of well-wishes and messages for the Shaurya Chakra award-winning officer, who was the only one to be rescued alive following the chopper crash that killed India's top general. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, joined the nation in mourning his demise, after IAF confirmed his death on Twitter.

Varun Singh was accompanying CDS as his liaison officer to DSSC

Varun Singh, a Shaurya Chakra recipient, was accompanying General Bipin Rawat as his liaison officer to Wellington's Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), where the CDS was scheduled to deliver a lecture. He was taken to the Military Hospital in Wellington after the helicopter crash, but was later transferred to the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru.

The IAF said in its medical report on Tuesday that Group Captain Varun Singh remained critical and on life support at a hospital in Bengaluru. 

Captain Singh was awarded the Shaurya Chakra in August for preventing a potential mid-air collision when his Tejas light combat aircraft was hit by a catastrophic technical glitch last year. To investigate the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash, the Indian Air Force has formed a tri-service Court of Inquiry (CoI) led by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh.

Image: ANI/PTI