Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday laid wreaths on the mortal remains of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika Rawat, who were among the 13 killed in the military chopper crash in Tamil Nadu.

The mortal remains of Gen Rawat and his wife were kept at their official residence before cremation.  Outside Gen Rawat’s residence, people raised slogans of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Gen Rawat amar rahe’, and ‘Uttarakhand ka heera amar rahe’.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad and British Ambassador to India Alexander Ellis were among the other leaders who paid their last respects to Gen Rawat and his wife.

Former Defence Minister AK Antony, DMK leader Kanimozhi, Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar, BJP leader Baijayant Jay Panda, Delhi LG Anil Baijal, Minister of State Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, also paid their respects to Rawat and his wife.

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“It is a loss to the nation, he was a pride of the nation,” Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said after paying tributes.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also laid their wreaths on the mortal remains of Gen Rawat and his wife.

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Gen Rawat, his wife, and 11 other defence personnel were killed when a Mi17V5 helicopter carrying them crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.