IAF chopper crash: It is a personal tragedy for me says Major Gen GD Bakshi

Gen Bakshi termed the chopper crash as a personal tragedy in an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat senior correspondent Chandrakala Choudhury. Gen. Bakshi said he hopes and prays that by some miracle Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat survives. "Otherwise, it is a tragedy not only for the armed forces but for the whole country. I shudder to think of the worst," Bakshi who has also been an instructor to Rawat said.

New Delhi: Expressing deep concern and shock over the chopper crash, Maj. Gen. GD Bakshi (Retd.) said it is a great tragedy not only for the armed forces but for the country.

The crashed Mi-17V5 chopper was was carrying 14 personnel including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, near Coonoor, The Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.

Speaking to ETV Bharat, General Bakshi said, "this is a great tragedy as the first chief of Defence staff was on board, who is a very combat hearted soldier. We can only hope and pray that by some miracle he survives. Otherwise, it is a tragedy not only for the armed forces but for the whole country. I shudder to think of the worst".

"Personally, it is a great tragedy for me as I was also the instructor of Gen Bipin Rawat. I and my family are praying that they survive by some miracle. I knew Rawat so well and it is a personal tragedy for me"

Speaking about the Army protocols in flying a chopper, Bakshi said, " the protocol is that they don't allow more than one VVip on the chopper and in case of such an incident, the loss is minimised in case of any untoward accident", adding that Mi-17V5 is a very sturdy helicopter.

Meanwhile, Rawat who has been rescued from the crash site admitted to the hospital and is under ventilation. Tomorrow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to brief the Parliament on the crash.