‘Varun Singh’s battle to survive was epic.’ Anand Mahindra mourns Group Captain’s death

The lone survivor of the IAF chopper crash in Tamil Nadu, that claimed the lives of CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others, breathed his last on Wednesday. Ever since there has been an outpouring of condolences across social media. From politicians to industrialists and sportspersons, many paid their respects to Group Captain Varun Singh who succumbed to his injuries.

Chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, mourned the loss of the dashing pilot on Twitter. “I feel a profound & deep sadness at this news. His battle to survive was an epic one. The entire nation was praying for him. His recovery would have brought us all some cheer. I console myself in the knowledge that a battle well fought is a battle won…”



Mahindra’s words echoed with many others who have been shocked by the unfortunate incident. After the chopper crash was reported Mahindra had tweeted saying that the brave never die, though they sleep in the dust.


Another tweet by Mahindra on December 10 with a video of a leaf imprint of CDS Bipin Rawat was liked and shared by thousands on Twitter.


On December 8, the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash claimed the lives of 13 of the 14 people. Group Captain Singh was moved to Command Hospital on December 9 after getting initial treatment from Wellington’s Military Hospital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences saying that Group Captain Varun Singh served the nation with pride, valour and utmost professionalism. The Prime Minister also added that he was extremely anguished by the death of Singh.


Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a tweet said that he was pained beyond words to learn about the demise of the IAF pilot and that he was a true fighter who fought till his last breath.

In August, Group Captain Singh was conferred with the Shaurya Chakra for preventing a potential mid-air accident after his Tejas light combat aircraft developed a technical hitch. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.