Srinagar, Dec 10 (PTI) The Army and civilians paid tributes to Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, who along with his wife and 11 other defence personnel was killed in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu, and held prayers for him in different parts of Kashmir on Friday.

The main ceremony to pay homage to Gen Rawat was held at the headquarters of the Army's Chinar Corps at Badamibagh here, officials said.

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General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Chinar Corps Lt Gen D P Pandey led the senior police and civil administration officers and people from various parts of the Valley in paying tributes to Gen Rawat.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony, Lt Gen Pandey said the ceremony was a tribute from Chinar Corps and the people of Kashmir to Gen Rawat and others who died in the crash.

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Asked about Gen Rawat's connect with the people of Kashmir, the GOC said, "It (his connection) was across the Kashmir Valley. If you see the last 48 hours, the way people have taken out rallies, candlelight vigils and marches, it indicates the connect. The large number of people from Kashmir who have gone to attend the cremation or pay respects to Gen Rawat in Delhi speaks volumes about the connect."

Srinagar-based Defence spokesperson Colonel Emron Musavi said Gen Rawat was remembered by people during the Friday prayers at mosques in Macchal, Pushwari, Dabpal and T Shuntwari of the Macchal sector and in Keran.

"The maulvis addressed the people and prayed to Allah, the Almighty to grant eternal peace to the departed souls of Gen Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and the 11 other armed forces personnel who were martyred in the tragic helicopter crash at Coonoor, Tamil Nadu on 8th December," Col Musavi said.

"After the candlelight vigil yesterday, in which even children participated, the grief and loss felt by the locals was evident amongst the attendees during the Friday prayers," he said.

A condolence ceremony was also organised at Gulmarg in north Kashmir for Gen Rawat, he added.

The staff and students of the Army Goodwill Public School in Pahalgam also held a prayer meeting and observed a two-minute silence in memory of Gen Rawat, Col Musavi said.

Gen Rawat had inaugurated the school's digital education initiative on May 25, 2018, when he was the Army chief.

"The General will always be remembered for his leadership and progressive ideas. He had emphasised the incorporation of digital learning in schools to facilitate... the sharing of knowledge and ideas. He had great regard for education and considered the Army Goodwill Schools the backbone of Kashmiri progress," Col Musavi said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)