The mortal remains of Group Captain Varun Singh were brought to the Bhopal Airport on Thursday, 16 December. Varun Singh was the lone survivor of the Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper crash, but succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday, 15 December.
IAF officials and Madhya Pradesh ministers later paid tribute to Varun Singh by laying a wreath on the martyred Group Captain at the airport.
His mortal remains will be taken to his house later in the day, and his last rites will be performed on Friday, 17 December, at 11 am.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan later said:
"After consulting with his family, a decision will be taken regarding renaming any institute or installing a statue of him. A govt job and Rs 1 crore will also be given to the family."
Earlier in the day, IAF officers and family members of Group Captain Varun Singh paid their last respects to him at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka in Bengaluru, after which his body was flown to Bhopal.
On Wednesday, Col (retd) KP Singh, GC Varun Singh's father, had confirmed the news of his son's demise to The Quint.
The IAF, too, had informed about Singh's demise via Twitter. "IAF is deeply saddened to inform the passing away of brave-heart Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed this morning to the injuries sustained in the helicopter accident on 08 Dec 21," the tweet by the Air Force said.
The IAF offered condolences to Group Captain Singh's family and said it "stands firmly with the bereaved family".
Later, PM Narendra Modi took to Twitter and said that Group Captain Singh had served the nation with "pride, valour, and utmost professionalism".
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also reacted to the demise of a "true fighter who fought till his last breath".
The Fatal Chopper Crash
An IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter, which was carrying 14 defence personnel, including CDS General Bipin Rawat, crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on 8 December, leading to the untimely demise of the CDS, his wife, and 11 other personnel the same day.
Group Captain Singh was accompanying the Chief of Defence Staff as a liaison officer. The crash occurred after the chopper took off from the Sulur Army base in Coimbatore for the Defence Staff Services College in Wellington.
After the crash in Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris, Singh had been put on life support at the Military Hospital in Wellington.
He had suffered 95 percent burn injuries, and his father had told The Quint that "there are several (medical) complications".
Group Captain Singh was later shifted to the Command Hospital in Bengaluru on 9 December for further treatment.
Speaking to The Quint, Col (retd) KP Singh, GC Varun Singh's father, had said, "Nobody can quantify how badly he is injured. It is very dynamic. Doctors are monitoring his condition every hour."
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