Sand Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik pays homage to Gen Bipin Rawat killed in IAF chopper crash

Following the tragic Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper crash incident, famous sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sand sculpture to pay tribute to India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat. Pattnaik sculpted the image of General Bipin Rawat at Puri beach in Odisha. The installation read, "Tribute to CDS General Bipin Rawat."

Machhal villagers pay tribute to Gen Bipin Rawat

About 150 residents of Jammu and Kashmir's Machhal village held a candlelight march on Thursday, December 9, in fond memory of India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. The gathering observed two minutes of silence for the departed souls and prayed to the Almighty to grant them eternal peace. 

General Bipin Rawat and Brigadier LS Lidder had visited the Macchal Sector on July 27 this year.

Tamil Nadu IAF chopper crash

In a tragic event, a Mi5-V17 chopper carrying General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 12 more flying from the Sulur Air Force Base to Wellington, crashed in the Upper Coonoor region of Tamil Nadu. While 11 were declared dead at the site of the crash, Group Captain Varun Singh is the only survivor, who is currently being treated for severe burns at Command Hospital in Bengaluru.

The crash resulted in the death of General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Colonel Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, JWO Das, Junior Warrant Officer Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar and Lance Naik Sai Teja.

The IAF aircraft with the mortal remains of 13 bodies who died in a chopper crash near Tamil Nadu's Coonoor, reached the Palam airbase in Delhi on the evening of December 9. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached the Palam airbase and paid tribute to the departed.

Image: Twitter/@sudarsansand