Indian Air Force (IAF) has constituted a tri-service court of inquiry to investigate the cause of the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor on December 8.

The IAF has appealed to avoid speculation around the chopper crash that killed CDS General Bipin Rawat and 12 others in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. “IAF has constituted a tri-service Court of Inquiry to investigate the cause of the tragic helicopter accident on 08 Dec 21. The inquiry would be completed expeditiously & facts brought out. Till then, to respect the dignity of the deceased, uninformed speculation may be avoided,” IAF has tweeted.

The defence ministry had earlier announced the tri-services inquiry to probe the causes of the helicopter crash which killed Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika, and 11 military personnel.

The tri-services inquiry is to be headed by the Indian Air Force’s Air Officer Training Command Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, one of its most experienced helicopter pilots with over 6,600 hours of flying on various types. It is reasonable to assume his committee will draw helicopter experts from the two other services as well.

The statement was released by defence minister Rajnath Singh in both houses of parliament on December 9.