NEW DELHI: Huge crowds of mourners gathered outside as armed forces personnel took the mortal remains of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat inside the Brar Square crematorium in the Delhi Cantonment on Friday.
Along with about 800 service personnel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, Ambassador of France to India Emmanuel Lenain and British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis were also in attendance for the military funeral of India's first Chief of Defence Staff.
People showered flower petals and raised slogans in the general's praise as the gun carriage carrying his mortal remains entered the crematorium.
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General Rawat, his wife, and 11 other defence personnel were killed when a Mi17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
The final journey of Chief of Defence Staff General Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat began from his official residence here amid chants of 'Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Rawat ji ka naam rahega'.
As the first Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat was tasked to bring in theater command and jointness among the three services, and he was pushing these with a tough approach and specific timelines in the last two years.
Earlier in the day, the mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife were kept at their 3, Kamraj Marg official residence before cremation, to allow people to pay their respects.
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Several dignitaries also payed floral tributes and last respects till the funeral procession left.
General Rawat's two daughters performed traditional rituals before the caskets of their parents were moved to the gun carriage.
Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and a host of other dignitaries, among others on Friday laid wreaths on the mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife.
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