Chopper crash: Pilot cremated with state honours; will join IAF like dad, says 12-yr-old daughter

NEW DELHI: Wing Commander Prithvi Singh Chauhan, who was the pilot of the ill-fated IAF chopper carrying CDS General Bipin Rawat and 13 others, was cremated with full state honours at the Tajganj crematorium in Agra on Saturday.
The pyre was lit by Chauhan's son 7-year-old son, 12-year-old daughter and cousin Pushpendra Singh in the presence of family members, officials of the IAF, Agra administration and police among others.
The wing commander's 12-year-old daughter said that she wanted to follow her father's footsteps and become an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot too.
After lighting her father's pyre, the Class VII student said she wanted to emulate her father because he was her hero.
"My father used to advise me to focus on my studies and not chase marks. He believed marks would follow if I focused on studies," she said.
Prithvi's family migrated from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh to Agra in 2006.
He joined the service in 2000 and was flying with the Chief of Defence Staff as part of his assignment at the IAF station in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, during the crash.
Earlier, as his body was being taken to the crematorium from Dayal Bagh, people stood by the road and showered petals to bid farewell to the officer.
His body arrived at the Agra airport around 10am.
Union minister of state for law and justice and MP from Agra S P Singh Baghel and officials of the IAF, police and administration paid their respects at the airport.
The officer's father Surendra Singh, wife Kamini Singh and other family members were present at the crematorium, as were several local leaders, dignitaries, and officials.
Chauhan was among the 13 killed when a MI 17-V5 helicopter carrying them crashed in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
The lone survivor of the accident, Group Captain Varun Singh, is in critical condition but stable and is being treated at a hospital in Bengaluru.
(With inputs from PTI)