Gen Bipin Rawat Chopper Crash Live Updates: Lone survivor IAF Group Captain Varun Singh shifted to Bengaluru Command Hospital

Opposition parties on Thursday suspended for a day their dharna at Mahatma Gandhi statue inside Parliament complex against the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs in view of the death of chief of defence staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others in a chopper crash. Leaders of the parties, however, condemned the government for not allowing them to pay tribute to the top-most defence officer in the country inside Parliament after defence minister Rajnath Singh briefed both the Houses about the Wednesday incident. (PTI)

A large number of people turned up to pay their last respects to CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and other defence personnel in Tamil Nadu's Mettupalayam. Locals showered flowers at ambulances carrying the mortal remains of CDS and defence personnel. They chanted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' slogans.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister of state for defence Ajay Bhatt and national security advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval are expected to pay tributes to the mortal remains of chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other personnel at the Palam Technical Area in Delhi on Thursday evening, sources said. All 13 bodies are being brought in an Indian Air Force C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from Sulur to Delhi.

A pall of gloom descended on Takdah, a sleepy hamlet in West Bengal Darjeeling district, on Thursday as locals learnt about the death of Havaldar Satpal Rai who was among the 13 people killed in the helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor. Rai, who was a native of Takdah, is survived by wife, a daughter and a son who is also in the army. Rai's distraught widow said that he had last come home during Diwali. "He was supposed to come home in April again and had promised us a vacation to some place," she said. His body is likely to arrive home on Friday, a neighbour of the Rai family home said. (PTI)

Among the armed forces personnel killed in the chopper crash near Coonoor was Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder, a decorated soldier who worked extensively on tri-services reforms as the defence assistant to CDS General Bipin Rawat. A second-generation army officer, Brig Lidder was set to be promoted as major general soon and was preparing for his next posting after serving as a key member in Gen Rawat's team for more than a year. (PTI)

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will call on President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday to apprise him about the chopper crash near Tamil Nadu's Coonoor that claimed the lives of chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 defence personnel. (ANI)

A case was registered by the police on Thursday in connection with the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash near here on December 8 that killed the chief of defence staff, General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others, and initiated a probe into the matter. The Nilgiris district police registered the FIR under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and ADSP Muthumanikam was appointed as the investigation officer, official sources said. A probe is underway. Police were using drone camera near the crash site as part of the investigation. (PTI)

People of Baramulla in north Kashmir have lost more than anyone else in chief of defence staff General Bipin Rawat's death as he had close connection with them and loved them, general officer commanding of the Army's Chinar Corps, Lt Gen D P Pandey said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at Baramulla after paying tributes to Gen Rawat – who was GoC Dagger Division in Baramulla – the GoC said it will take a lot of time for us to come out of this grief. (PTI)

A pall of gloom descended Krishnachandrapur village under Kandhal panchayat in Talcher area of Angul district after news came in that son of the soil, Rana Pratap Das (35), was among those killed in a helicopter crash near Coonoor along with chief of defence staff Gen Bipin Rawat in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Rana Pratap was a Junior Warrant Officer (JWO) of Indian Air Force (IAF and was part of the technical crew.