The country's first CDS general Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika, who lost their lives in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, were cremated in a military crematorium. Veteran leaders paid tributes to Bipin Rawat. Chiefs of Army Staff of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were also present on the occasion. He was accorded full military honour with a 17-gun salute as per laid down protocols on Friday. Post the playing of the 'Last Post' and 'Rouse' by the tri-services buglers, the funeral pyre was lit by his daughters, Kirtika and Tarini.
On this occasion, the three Chiefs of Army Staff and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh paid their last respects to General Rawat. General Rawat was given a salute of 17 guns. Also, 800 military personnel were present at the time.
An Air Force IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter carrying senior Army officers was en route to Coonoor on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. Among them were CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife, his staff and senior officers of the Indian Army. About 14 people were traveling in the helicopter. However, the helicopter crashed due to bad weather around noon.