Grp Capt Varun Singh had planned to celebrate Shaurya Chakra honour in Indore this month | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Grp Capt Varun Singh had planned to celebrate Shaurya Chakra honour in Indore this month

Dec 16, 2021 03:33 PM IST

Group Captain Varun Singh’s father Colonel K P Singh (retired) and mother are residents of Bhopal and the officer had last visited his parents during Diwali.

IAF Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed to his injuries after surviving the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu last week, had wished to visit Indore in December-end to celebrate his Shaurya Chakra honour, reported news agency PTI. Citing an acquaintance of the air warrior, the report said that Group Captain Varun Singh was scheduled to visit his wife Geetanjali's parental home in Indore around December-end and celebrate the honour.

Group Captain Varun Singh(Special Arrangement)
Group Captain Varun Singh(Special Arrangement)

He was conferred with India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award for averting a possible mid-air accident after his Tejas light combat aircraft was hit by a major technical problem last year.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

"But, as fate would have it, he was on board the ill-fated chopper (that crashed last week) as the liaison officer for the visit of Gen Rawat to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington," PTI quoted Daljit Singh Gurudatta (70), a neighbour of Singh’s father, as saying.

Group Captain Varun Singh got married in January 2008 after meeting Geetajnjali while she was studying in a Pune college. The couple has two kids, a son and a daughter. Singh’s father Colonel K P Singh (retired) and mother are residents of Bhopal and the officer had last visited his parents during Diwali.

"He loved Bhopal," Gurudatta said. “I had all hopes that Varun would come out triumphant. We had planned to give him a rousing welcome. I don't have words to describe the pain and loss his death has caused."

MP CM announces 1 crore compensation to kin of late Group Captain Varun Singh

The air warrior succumbed to his injuries Wednesday morning after battling for life for almost a week in a military hospital in Bengaluru. The chopper crash had already claimed the lives of 13 others onboard, including Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and his wife Madhulika.

On Thursday, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a 'Samman Nidhi' of 1 crore to the kin of the officer.

“The state government will give one crore 'Samman Nidhi' to the family of martyred Group Captain Varun Singh and in consultation with them, install his statue here, name an institution after him and also offer a job to his kin in the state government, as per the laid down practice," Chouhan told reporters.

(With agency inputs)

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On