Rajnath speaks to father of Grp Capt Varun Singh

Bengaluru/New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday spoke to the father of Group Captain Varun Singh who is battling for life at a Bengaluru hospital after surviving the IAF chopper crash near Coonoor.

Officials said Group Captain Singh’s condition remained ”critical but stable”.

They said the defence minister has been in touch with the family of the Group Captain.

His father Colonel (retd) KP Singh had served in the Army Air Defence (AAD).

”The defence minister spoke to Group Captain Varun Singh’s father, Colonel (retd) KP Singh,” said an official.

On Thursday, Group Captain Singh was shifted to the Command Hospital in Bengaluru from Wellington in Tamil Nadu.

The Group Captain was admitted to a hospital in Wellington with severe burn injuries on Wednesday following the crash.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika and 11 armed forces personnel were killed in the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash near Coonoor on Wednesday.

Group Captain Singh, a decorated officer, was on board the Russian-made chopper as the liaison officer for the visit of Gen Rawat, India’s senior-most military officer, to the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington.

He was conferred with the Shaurya Chakra in August for averting a possible mid-air accident of his Tejas light combat aircraft last year.