High-Level Inquiry Into Crash, Rajnath Singh Tells Parliament

Both houses of parliament observed two minutes' silence today for Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat and 12 others who died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu yesterday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefed both houses on the crash and informed that the sole survivor, Group Captain Varun Singh, is on life support.

The minister said a tri-service inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Air Force and it will be headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command.

"The Chief of Defence Staff will be cremated with full military honours. I, on behalf of the august House, pay homage to the deceased persons and express condolences to the bereaved families," Rajnath Singh said.

General Rawat was flying to Wellington on Wednesday afternoon to address the faculty and students of the Defence Services Staff College when the Air Force chopper crashed into the hills.

"The Air Force Mi 17 V 5 helicopter took off from Sulur Air Base at 11:48 AM yesterday and was expected to land at Wellington by 12:15 PM. Air Traffic Control at the Sulur Air Base lost contact with the helicopter at approximately 12:08 PM," Rajnath Singh said.

He said locals spotted a fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot, where they saw wreckage of a military helicopter in flames.

"The dead include General Rawat's wife Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and nine other armed forces personnel including the Air Force helicopter crew," he said.

Here is the full statement the Defence Minister's full statement on the Tamil Nadu Chopper Crash: 

"With profound grief and heavy heart, I stand to convey the unfortunate news of the crash of the military helicopter in the noon of 8th December 2021, with India's first Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Bipin Rawat onboard.

Gen Bipin Rawat was on a scheduled visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington to interact with the student Officers. The Air Force Mi 17 V 5 helicopter took off from Sulur Air Base at 11:48 AM yesterday and was expected to land at Wellington by 12:15 PM. Air Traffic Control at Sulur Air Base lost contact with the helicopter at approximately 12:08 PM. Subsequently, few locals spotted a fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot where they observed the wreckage of military helicopter engulfed in flames. Rescue teams from the local administration in the vicinity reached the site and attempted to recover the survivors from the crash site.

All those recovered from the wreckage were rushed to the Military Hospital, Wellington. Latest reports have confirmed that out of the total 14 persons onboard the ill-fated helicopter, 13 have succumbed to their injuries. The dead include the spouse of the CDS, Mrs Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and nine other Armed Forces personnel including the Air Force helicopter crew. Their names are Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, Squadron Leader Kuldeep Singh, Junior Warrant Officer Rana Pratap Das, Junior Warrant Officer Arakkal Pradeep, Havildar Satpal Rai, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitendra Kumar, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja. Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in the Military Hospital at Wellington and all efforts are being made to save his life.

A tri-Service enquiry regarding the incident has been ordered by Indian Air Force, headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command.

The Chief of Defence Staff would be cremated with full military honours.

I, on behalf of the august House, pay homage to the deceased persons and express condolences to the bereaved families."