Malda (WB), Dec 8 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed grief over the sudden demise of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash in Tamil Nadu and decribed it is "an irreparable loss for the entire nation".

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She said Rawat will always be remembered for the courage and devotion with which he served the country.

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"Pained by the untimely demise of CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other Armed Forces personnel in the tragic accident in Coonoor today. The entire nation mourns this irreparable loss. We will always remember the courage and devotion with which he served our nation," she tweeted.

In the afternoon Banerjee abruptly ended an administrative review meeting in Malda as soon as she came to know of the crash.

"We have received sad news. I am shocked. I have no words to express my grief. I am ending this meeting," she said and left the venue of the meeting.

Banerjee, who is on a four-day administrative tour of the state, is scheduled to conduct several review meetings.

(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)