CDS Rawat's final journey begins with last remains being taken to Brar Square for last rites

New Delhi, Dec 10: Amid chants of 'Vande Mataram' and 'General Rawat amar rahe', the funeral procession of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat left his official residence for the last rites at the Brar Square crematorium in the Delhi Cantonment on Friday.

Military personnel drawn from all the three services marched towards the streets as drummers played along in tribute to India's first Chief of Defence Staff. As the mortal remains of General Rawat, carried in a casket wrapped in a tricolour, was moved to a gun carriage, decorated with flowers, people showered petals and raised slogans in his praise. General Rawat, 63, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other defence personnel were killed when a Mi17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

As India's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Rawat was tasked to bring in theatre command and jointness among the three services, and he was pushing these with a tough approach and specific timelines in the last two years. The mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife were kept at their official residence here before cremation, to allow people to pay respects.

Earlier in the day, right outside his official residence at 3, Kamraj Marg, several people who had gathered, raised slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Gen Rawat amar rahe', and 'Uttarakhand ka heera amar rahe', while dignitaries payed floral tributes and last respects till the funeral procession left the bungalow.

General Rawat's two daughters performed traditional rituals before the caskets of their parents were moved to the gun carriage. Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and a host of other dignitaries, among others on Friday laid wreaths on the mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife.