- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN group captain Varun Singh, who was the only survivor of the December 8 military helicopter crash, succumbed to his injuries after seven days on Wednesday (15) and was given a moving send-off in his hometown Bhopal in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on Friday (17).
India’s first chief of defence staff general Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika were killed in the accident that took place in a hilly region in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu along with 11 personnel.
The 39-year-old Singh, who was conferred the Shaurya Chakra award in August, was rescued alive and was receiving treatment at Command Hospital in Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka. He was on life support and could not survive.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, was among those who bid adieu to Indian Air Force officer at Bhopal’s Bairagarh crematorium. His mortal remains were brought to Bhopal in a special aircraft on Thursday afternoon.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over Singh’s death and said in a tweet, “served the nation with pride, valour and utmost professionalism. His rich service to the nation will never be forgotten.”
Chouhan said his government will hand over ‘Samman Nidhi’ (monetary benefit) of Rs one crore (98,926) to the late officer’s family.
