Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn and other celebrities mourn the demise of CDS Bipin Rawat, send prayers to his family

Picture Courtesy: Mid-day Archives

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 other people on board died after an Indian Air force helicopter crashed in Tamil Nadu's Coonoor on Wednesday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) confirmed.

Condoling his demise, Salman Khan tweeted- "Very sad to hear of the tragic crash in which we have lost Gen Bipin Rawat his wife and other personnel from the Armed forces. My thoughts my prayers and condolences are with the bereaved families …"

The other celebrities to express shock over his demise were Ajay Devgn, Sonu Sood, Karan Johar, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Randeep Hooda, Tamannaah Bhatia, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Raveena Tandon, Mammootty, and Yami Gautam.

Sunny Deol wrote- "Shocked to hear the sad news of the crash of the helicopter aboard CDS Shri Bipin Rawat. I pray to God for peace to the souls of all the soldiers who were martyred in this accident and wish General Rawat ji to be safe and healthy."

Ajay Devgn tweeted- "Grieved to know about the untimely demise of Gen. Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and his troops of the Indian Armed Forces. My deepest condolences to all their families."

Sonu Sood shared a picture of Bipin Rawat and wrote how he shall live forever.

Filmmaker Karan Johar saluted the brave & selfless service he has given to the nation. He said, "Extremely shocked and saddened by the demise of General Bipin Rawat, his wife and the troops of the Indian Armed Forces. Saluting the brave & selfless service he has given to the nation while we mourn this untimely loss. Rest in power."

Anil Kapoor also shared a picture with Bipin Rawat and this is what he had to say- "A shocking & devastating loss. Sending our heartfelt condolences & prayers to the families. I am honoured to have met Gen Bipin Rawat. Om Sadgati."

Randeep Hooda had this to say- "Saddened to hear the shocking news of the plane crash in Tamil Nadu carrying CDS Bipin Rawat and other senior officials. Praying for the souls who lost their lives & wishing for the speedy recovery of CDS Rawat."

Tamannaah Bhatia wrote- "Extremely saddened on hearing about the tragic death of CDS General #BipinRawat, Mrs. Madhulika Rawat and 11 army personnel."

Here's what Raveena Tandon had to say:

Prithviraj Sukumaran shared a picture of Bipin Rawat and condoled his demise:

Mammootty also expressed shock over General Bipin Rawat's demise and wrote- "So shocking and unbelievable. Salute to the Nation's brave soldier Gen #BipinRawat and Mrs Madhulika Rawat. Deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones in this tragic accident."

Yami Gautam expressed that it was a sad day for the country.

Urmila Matondkar also paid her condolences and wrote- "RIP General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 others... Deepest condolences to the family. Om Shanti."

Anupam Kher and Chitrangda Singh were two of the first ones to mourn his demise on social media. Talking of Kher first, the actor shared images of his meeting with Bipin Rawat and wrote- "Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of CDS #GenBipinRawat , his wife and 11 more military officers. Had the good fortune of meeting #जनरलरावत many times. He had amazing audacity and unfathomable love for the country. Shaking hands with him, "Jai Hind" would come out naturally from the heart and tongue!"

Chitrangda Singh wrote- "Distraught at how the horrible plane crash in Tamil Nadu unfolded. My heartfelt condolences to the brave families of our men in uniforms. Sending prayers & strength to the families of CDS Bipin Rawat Ji & all the Jawans who were onboard. Jai Hind!"

Rawat, his wife Madhulika and others were in the chopper. He was going to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington in Coonoor district to give a lecture scheduled at about 3 p.m.

Also Read: CDS General Bipin Rawat, wife, among 13 dead in chopper crash: IAF