President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday prayed for the speedy recovery of IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.
Taking to Twitter, President Kovind said, "My thoughts are with Group Captain Varun Singh who has survived the tragic chopper crash. I pray for his speedy recovery and long life."
The Group Captain was recently conferred with the Shaurya Chakra by President Kovind for his act of exceptional gallantry.
The Congress party also prayed for the health and recovery of the Group Captain. "The Congress family prays along with a billion Indians for the health and speedy recovery of Group Captain Varun Singh," tweeted the official account of the party.
Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed that the IAF Group Captain is on life support in Military Hospital at Wellington.
"Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in Military Hospital, Wellington. All efforts are being made to save his life," the Defence Minister had said.
According to the sources, the health condition of the Shaurya Chakra awardee is critical but stable and he can be shifted from the Military Hospital, Wellington to the Command Hospital in Bengaluru.
IAF Group Captain Varun Singh is the lone survivor of the military chopper crash which claimed the lives of 13 people including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat.
The mortal remains of those killed in the military chopper crash on Wednesday were brought to Madras Regimental Centre today from Military Hospital, Wellington in Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.
General Rawat was travelling from Sulur to Wellington when his helicopter crashed near Coonoor.
General Rawat, India's first CDS, was on a visit to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course when his chopper crashed.
General Rawat was appointed as India's first Chief of Defence Staff on December 31, 2019. He previously served as Chief of the Army Staff from January 2017 to December 2019. He was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978.
( With inputs from ANI )
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