The wife and daughter of Brigadier Lakhwinder Singh Lidder, who lost his life in the IAF chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, paid their last respects to him at the Brar Square Crematorium in Delhi.

His wife kissed his coffin, which was draped with the national flag and decorated with flowers. The video of the family paying their last respects to one of the top military officials also showed his daughter in tears as she placed flower petals on his coffin.

“I am going to be 17. So he was with me for 17 years, we will go ahead with happy memories. It’s a national loss. My father was a hero, my best friend. Maybe it was destined and better things will come our way. He was my biggest motivator,” Brig Lidder’s daughter said.

His wife Geetika Lidder said, “We must give him a good farewell, a smiling send-off. I am a soldier’s wife. It’s a big loss.”

Brigadier Lidder’s mortal remains were kept at Brar square in Delhi cantonment before his cremation.

Many senior defence personnel also paid their last respects to Lidder at Brar square.

Born on June 26, 1969, Brigadier Lidder was defence assistant to the CDS since January 2021.

He was commissioned in the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (JAKRIF) in December 1990 and commanded a battalion of the JAKRIF in Congo as UN peacekeeping force. He also commanded a brigade on India’s northern borders.

He served as director at the Military Operations Directorate and also as defence assistant at Kazakhstan.

Approved for the Major General rank, he was due to take over a division. He is survived by wife Geetika Lidder and a daughter.