CDS General Rawat in his last message which was pre-recorded the evening before the tragic helicopter crash in Coonoor had invited the people of this country to join in with the celebrations of the Indian Army during Swarnim Vijay Parv, the event which commemorates the victory of the Indian Army in 1971 war.
Gen Bipin Rawat’s final public message — recorded the evening before the chopper crash, it was to play this morning as part of the 1971 War victory event. pic.twitter.com/mUO2tguw8X
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) December 12, 2021
He had said, “On the eve of the Swarnim Vijay Parv, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the soldiers of the Indian Army. We are celebrating the 50th year of India’s victory in the 1971 war in this Vijay Parv. On this auspicious occasion, I am remembering the brave soldiers of the armed forces and dedicating a tribute to their sacrifices. From 12 to 14 December, various programmes will be organized at the India Gate. We are fortunate that the Vijay Parv will be organized in the shadow of Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial which was built in the memory of our brave martyred soldiers. I am inviting all the people of our country to get involved in the celebration of Vijay Parv. We are proud of our soldiers, come let us celebrate together Vijay Parv.”
This pre-recorded message of CDS Bipin Rawat was played in the morning of the first day of the Vijay Parv event on December 12.
On Sunday, December 12, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the event of ‘Swarnim Vijay Parv’ at India Gate in Delhi. Rajnath Singh has said that the celebrations for the Vijay Parv will be simple this year due to the demise of CDS Bipin Rawat and 11 other personnel of the Indian Armed forces in the tragic helicopter crash that took place in Tamil Nadu. Vijay Parv this year will be a two day event and the closing ceremony to be held on 13 December.
On December 8, it was reported that an IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed near Coonoor town in Tamil Nadu. The helicopter was airborne from Sulur to Wellington with 14 persons were on board including CDS Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, Brig LS Lidder, Lt Col Harjinder Singh, NK Gursewak Singh, NK Jitendra Kr, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik B Sai Teja and Hav Satpal.Group Captain Varun Singh who is the lone survivor in the tragic incident remains in a critical condition at a military hospital in Bengaluru.
