Squadron Leader S Tiwari who was killed in Tawang chopper crash cremated in Ghaziabad

Tiwari laid to rest with full honour. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev attends the cremation rituals of the Squadron Leader whose family lives in Indirapuram; district officials give it a miss.

Ghaziabad: The body of Squadron Leader S Tiwari, one of the seven military personnel who lost their life in the recent chopper crash in Tawang, was cremated with full honour at the Hindon cremation ground on Sunday. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and officers of the Indian Air Force were also present at the cremation ground in Ghaziabad.

An elderly family member of late Squadron Leader S Tiwari garlands the body at the Ghaziabad cremation ground on Sunday. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev was also present for the last rites. (HT Photo)

Speaking on the sidelines of the Air Force Day function held at Hindon air base in Ghaziabad, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa said, “Prima facie it appears that the tail rotor of the chopper had come off. It will not be proper for me to say why it came off as a court of inquiry has been ordered to probe the crash.”

The IAF chief also paid homage to the seven military personnel.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev said that Tiwari died while on duty and in service of the nation.

“We are proud…it is because of these men that our country is safe. He died at a young age and I stand by his family. His father had also served in the air force. I am deeply pained but salute the courage of his family,” he said, adding that the irony of his cremation coinciding with the Air Force Day and Karva Chauth—when wives pray for the long life of their husbands—is not lost on the nation.

The Mi-17 chopper crashed last Friday killing seven military personnel, including five IAF officers and two armymen. The Russia-manufactured helicopter was carrying supplies to a forward post of the Indian army in the mountainous region near the China-India border.

The Mi-17 V5 chopper serves as the backbone of the Air Force. Over 150 such helicopters are in service and 48 have been requisitioned. The Mi-17 can carry a substantial payload to higher altitudes and has a powerful engine.