'Steadfast, Diligent, Respectful': A Tribute to Gen Rawat, Other Fallen Officers

In today’s special episode, we remember the lives of the fallen in the traffic helicopter crash in Coonoor.

Image used for representation only.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

Steadfast, a non-nonsense person and extremely diligent person, thats how Gen Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff was described by those who knew him.

In an extremely tragic and unexpected accident, India on 8 December mourned the loss of its highest ranking military official, his wife Mrs Madhulika Rawat, and 11 others who were killed in a helicopter crash in Tami Nadu’s Coonoor.

Along with Gen Rawat and his wife, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lieutenant Colonel Harjinder Singh, Wing Commander PS Chauhan, Squadron Leader K Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Das, JWO Pradeep A, Havildar Satpal, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender, Lance Naik Vivek and Lance Naik S Teja were the other defence personnel killed in the crash.

The lone survivor of the crash was Group Captain Varun Singh, who was moved to the Command Hospital in Bengaluru for further treatment today on 9 December.

In today’s special episode, we remember the lives of the fallen with Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, who served with Gen Bipin Rawat in Jammu and Kashmir, Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar, who was part of Gen Rawat’s staff and a close friend of Mrs Madhulika Rawat. And finally, my father Col Sandeep Shaligram, who served in the Indian army for 25 years and served alongside Brigadier LS Lidder at several occasions. Tune in!