Expressing anguish over the passing of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, 8 December, shared his condolences with the bereaved families.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday, 8 December, confirmed that CDS General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others died in an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor.
"With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident," IAF tweeted.
Reacting to his passing, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to Twitter to share his condolences.
"Deeply anguished by the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in an extremely unfortunate helicopter accident today in Tamil Nadu. His untimely death is an irreparable loss to our Armed Forces and the country."
Expressing "shock and anguish" over the passing of Gen Rawat, President Kovind said that the CDS's "four decades of selfless service to the motherland was marked by exceptional gallantry and heroism. My condolences to his family."
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that "it is a huge loss to the nation."
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that "this is an unprecedented tragedy.." and that "Indian stands united in this grief."
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Gen Rawat "was one of the bravest soldiers, who has served the motherland with utmost devotion."
Tweeting in Hindi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minster Yogi Adityanath said that CDS Gen Rawat's "demise is an irreparable loss to the nation".
"The death of CDS General Shri Bipin Rawat ji and his wife in an unfortunate accident in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu is extremely sad. Shri Rawat ji will always be remembered as an outstanding military officer. His untimely demise is an irreparable loss to the nation," said CM Adityanath,
The Indian's Army in a tweet also shared its condolences with the bereaved families.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami send his condolences to his family and said that "it is deeply painful for me to learn about the demise of CDS General Bipin Rawat. He devoted his life to the nation. My condolences to his family."
Meanwhile, Bhutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said it was "heartaching to learn of helicopter crash in India, claiming 13 precious lives (sic)". Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O' Farrel also expressed his sympathies on Twitter.
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