Group Captain Varun Singh is being treated at the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru
Group Captain Varun Singh - the only survivor of the horrific Air Force helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 11 other personnel - remains critical but stable, sources in the Indian Air Force told NDTV.
The Group Captain is being treated at the Air Force Command Hospital in Bengaluru, where he was airlifted to from the Military Hospital in Tamil Nadu's Wellington yesterday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who visited the Air Force officer at the hospital today, said, "He is getting the best medical treatment from specialist doctors. I pray for his speedy recovery."
The Chief Minister, who extended his condolences to the families of General Rawat and the other personnel killed in the tragic crash, has instructed the state police chief to initiate action against people tweeting offensive statements on the Chief of Defence Staff's death.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force or IAF has constituted a high-level Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the crash on Wednesday.
Urging people to not indulge in speculations about the accident, the IAF, in an official statement, said, "The inquiry would be completed expeditiously and facts brought out. Till then, to respect the dignity of the deceased, uninformed speculation may be avoided."
The Air Force officer won the Shaurya Chakra in August for his courage in handling his aircraft after it was hit by a snag during a sortie last year. He managed to land his Tejas fighter safely.
On Wednesday, Group Captain Singh had gone to Sulur to receive General Rawat and escort him to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington. General Rawat was to address the faculty and students at the institute, where Group Captain Singh is Directing Staff.