CDS General Bipin Rawat dies in chopper crash: Nation will always be greatful- Laxman, Sehwag offer condolences

India's sporting fraternity, led by former cricketer VVS Laxman, mourned the demise of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday.

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat lost his life in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday. “With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the Indian Force said in a tweet. His untimely demise led to an outpour of emotions on social media as members of the sports fraternity expressed shock and grief. Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Sh. #BipinRawat and his wife in a tragic helicopter crash. The nation will always be grateful to Gen. Rawat for his service to the nation. Om ShantiJai Hind pic.twitter.com/b4qwfAW2Kz Extremely pained to hear about the passing away of Shri #BipinRawat , his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 army personnel in the tragic helicopter crash. Gratitude for his wonderful service to the nation. Om Shanti pic.twitter.com/XoCK64Q9wg

CDS Bipin Rawat was on his way to Defence Staff College in Wellington from the Indian Air Force base in Sulur near Coimbatore when the incident took place. Apart from him, his wife Madhulika Rawat, defence assistant, security commandos and an IAF pilot were on board the Mi-series chopper when it crashed, ANI news agency reported.