Helicopter Crash: Brigadier Lidder is survived by his wife and his 16-year-old daughter Aashna.
Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder was set to be promoted as Major General, an Army officer and the Brigadier's neighbour said a day after his death in the chopper crash that also killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 11 others.
The last rites of Brigadier Lidder are planned at the Brar Square Crematorium, Delhi Cantonment at 9 AM on December 10.
A second-generation Army officer, Brigadier Lidder had his roots in Haryana's Panchkula. He had been on the staff of General Rawat for more than a year now as his defence assistant. He had been cleared for promotion to the post of Major General and was to leave General Rawat's staff soon to take charge as a division officer.
Commissioned into the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, he had earlier commanded the Second Battalion of the regiment. Brigadier Lidder had served as India's defence attache to Kazakhstan and was considered a counterterrorism specialist.
He was a recipient of Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.
Standing outside House no 357 in Panchkula Sector 12, the Lidders' family home, Colonel Bhupinder Singh said he had known the Brigadier for 20 years. "He was a decorated officer, he was doing very well in his career. He had led a battalion in difficult areas, served on UN missions as well as embassies. This is a huge loss at a personal level too as we had been friends for 20 years," he said.
Colonel Singh said no one stays at the Lidders' Panchkula home now but that the Brigadier kept visiting. "He last visited about a month-and-a-half back. We had a long chat. He was set to be promoted as Major General. It was to be announced any day. This is a big setback for the family and the nation."
BJP MP and former Union Minister Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (retired) described Brigadier Lidder as one of India's "brightest and bravest officers."
Brigadier Lidder is survived by his wife and his 16-year-old daughter Aashna. The senior Army Officer was in Delhi in November-end for the release of a book by his daughter.