(By Rakesh Agarwal)

8 December 2021 was one of the saddest and most shocking days for all Indians when the military chopper Mi-17V5 carrying the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife, and other 12 army personnel and crew crashed in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, approximately 10 kilometers from its destination. The chopper took off at 11:47 with 10 passengers and 4 crew members from Sulur Air Force Station, for the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington, Tamil Nadu. The flight was scheduled to arrive at Wellington by 12:20. At around 12:10 local time, the aircraft crashed near a residential colony of private tea estate employees on the outskirts of the hamlet of Nanjappachatiram, Bandishola panchayat, in the Katteri-Nanchappanchathram area of Coonoor taluk, Nilgiris district. Following the crash, the IAF released statements at 18:03 confirming the death of 13 of the 14 people on board, including CDS General Rawat and his wife. As of 21:30, all 13 of the bodies had been recovered from the crash site. The lone survivor of the crash Group Captain Varun Singh, SC, a Directing Staff at DSSC was taken to the military hospital in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, and was later airlifted to Bangalore for further treatment. The mortal remains of all the deceased in the crash were brought Delhi wrapped in National Flag, from where it is being sent to their respective native places for last rites. The Black Box of the helicopter has been recovered from the crash site and a tri-service enquiry commission has been also been constituted to probe the cause of the unfortunate crash. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, and others paid homage to the departed souls in Delhi.
Bipin Rawat served as the 26th Army Chief from 31 December 2016 to 31 December 2019 and was appointed as the first Chief of Defence Staff on 31 December 2019. He served the Indian army for nearly 43 years. Born in Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand on 16 March 1958, his family had been serving in the Indian Army for generations. His father Laxman Singh Rawat rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General. His mother was the daughter of Kishan Singh Parmar, the ex-MLA from Uttarkashi. A product of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla and the IMA, Dehradun, where he was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’, Rawat was commissioned into the 5th battalion of 11 Gorkha Rifles on 16 December 1978, the same unit as his father. In 1985, he married Madhulika Rawat, a descendant of an erstwhile princely family. She was the daughter of Kunwar Mrigendra Singh, Riyasatdar of the pargana of Sohagpur Riyasat in Shahdol district and a Congress MLA from the district in 1967 and 1972. The couple is survived by two daughters, Kritika and Tarini. General Bipin Rawat will be best remembered for 2015 Myanmar Strike and the 2016 Surgical Strike. He was an upfront officer and was never shy of expressing his views. His comments of warning to Pakistan and China sent strong signals to both these countries.

The crash has shaken the entire country and will remain in our memories for a long time. We take you down the memory lane of some major plane/chopper crashes, wherein eminent personalities of the country lost their lives.

1. Subhas Chandra Bose was the first VIP victim, when his overloaded Japanese plane crashed on 18 August 1945 in Japan-ruled Formosa (now Taiwan). However, many refused to believe either the fact or the circumstances of his death. Conspiracy theories appeared within hours of his death and have thereafter had a long shelf life, keeping alive various martial myths about Bose.
2. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, nuclear physicist known as “Father of the Indian nuclear programme” was founding director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). He was also the founding director of the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), which is now named the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour. Bhabha was killed when Air India Flight 101 crashed near Mont Blanc (highest mountain in Alps and Western Europe) on 24 January 1966. Misunderstanding between Geneva Airport and the pilot about the aircraft position near the mountain is the official reason of the crash.
3. Congress leader and Cabinet Minister Mohan Kumaramangalam from 1971 to 1973 was killed in the crash of Indian Airlines Flight 440, a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Madras to New Delhi on May 31, 1973. As the flight approached Palam Airport in driving dust and a rainstorm, it struck high tension wires with visibility below minimal. The aircraft crashed and caught fire. 48 of the 65 passengers and crew on board perished in the accident. Many of the dead were unidentifiable, but Kumaramangalam body was identified by a Parker pen and a hearing aid he wore.
   Investigators determined the crash was caused by the crew descending below the minimum decision height.
4. 23 June 1980 was the day, when Sanjay Gandhi died instantly from head wounds in an air crash near Safdarjung Airport, Delhi. He was flying a new aircraft of the Delhi Flying Club, and, while performing an aerobatic manoeuvre over his office, lost control and crashed. Gandhi was known to flashy daredevilry and dangerous low-flying. He was clad in kurta-pajama and Kolhapuri chappals when he got into the advanced Pitts S-2A aircraft. He flew low and indulged in some reckless manoeuvers before crashing. It took eight surgeons four hours to stitch up his mutilated body. He was only 33 years of age at the time of his death. The only passenger in the plane, Captain Subhash Saxena, also died in the crash.
5. Congress leader and Cabinet Minister Madhavrao Scindia died at the age of 56, in a plane crash in Motta village of Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh, on 30 September 2001. The plane caught fire when it was above Bhainsrauli village. Being viewed as future prime ministerial candidate, he was on his way to address a public rally in Kanpur. All eight people on board the private plane Beechcraft King Air C90 died in the crash. The bodies were charred beyond recognition and Scindia remains were identified by the family, with the goddess Durga locket that he always used to wear.
6. G M C Balayogi, TDP leader and Speaker of the Lok Sabha died in crash of a Bell 206 helicopter in Kaikalur, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh on 3 March 2002, He was aged 50.
7. O P Jindal founder of Jindal Steel and Power and once ranked 13th amongst the richest Indians by Forbes was Minister of Power in the Government of Haryana. He died when the King Cobra helicopter in which he was flying from Chandigarh to Delhi with Haryana Agriculture Minister and others crashed around 12:30 pm on 31 March 2005 at Menghi village in Saharanpur district.
8. Ex-Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (popularly known as YSR) Bell 430 helicopter went missing on Wednesday, 2 September 2009 at 9:35 am. Begumpet and Shamshabad air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft at 10:02 am while it was passing through the dense Nallamala forest area. Although outlawed Naxal communist insurgents were believed to be behind the eventuality, the National Security Advisor ruled out the possibility. The PMO confirmed the helicopter’s crash on the morning of 3 September and death of all aboard, namely his Special Secretary, Chief Security Officer, Group Captain S. K. Bhatia and Captain M. S. Reddy. The Director General of Police said that the bodies were charred beyond recognition and had to be identified on the basis of clothing. An investigation concluded that the factors causing that crash included a problem with the transmission oil pressure system that distracted the crew from the worsening weather for more than six minutes. It was also noted that the pilots of the helicopter never discussed the bad weather, diverting, or returning to base.