Among the many tributes pouring in for Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat is a piece of unique artwork that was shared by actor Anupam Kher, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and IPS officer HGS Dhaliwal, among others. General Bipin Rawat was killed along with his wife and 11 armed forces personnel in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. He will be cremated with full military honours in Delhi today.
On Thursday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw took to Twitter to share a video which showed a peepal leaf with a cutout of General Rawat. "Salute," he wrote while sharing the artwork.
The leaf tribute was created by artist Shashi Adkar. He had shared his creation on Instagram yesterday, and it has since been widely circulated online.
Actor Anupam Kher and IPS officer HGS Dhaliwal also shared the video on social media.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night led tributes to those who were killed in the chopper crash.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered floral tribute to General Bipin Rawat, his wife and the other chopper crash victims. "Paid my last respects to Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife and other personnel of the Armed Forces. India will never forget their rich contribution," PM Modi wrote.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid tribute to the victims.
The funeral procession will begin at 2 pm today, while the funeral has been scheduled for 4 pm at the Brar Square Crematorium. The army has said civilians can pay their respects to General Rawat at his 3, Kamraj Marg residence between 10 am and 12.30 pm today, news agency ANI reported. Those in the forces can pay their tribute to the General between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm.
The Chief of Defence Staff will be accorded a 17 gun salute, as per protocol. A total of 800 service personnel will be in attendance for the military funeral.
