All shops and businesses in the Nilgiris were closed down as a mark of respect after the demise of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, wife and 11 others, in a helicopter crash in Kattery, near Coonoor, on Wednesday.
Almost all shops and businesses remained closed till 6 p.m., while autorickshaws and taxis too stayed off the roads on Friday. All shops in the Ooty and Coonoor municipal markets were shut, and footfall in the town was at a minimum. Pictures of General Rawat were also plastered across many parts of the town and many people garlanded the posters.
On Friday, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police C. Sylendra Babu also visited the settlement of Nanjappan Sathiram in Kattery, Coonoor, and praised the residents for their efforts to pull people out from the wreckage.
Mr. Babu said local residents had informed the police of the helicopter crash soon after it occurred.
He said personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services, as well as the police, reached the spot a few minutes after, and managed to pull three people, who were still alive, from the wreckage.
He added that the police had come to the settlement to express their gratitude to residents who helped in the rescue operations. He said 26 eyewitnesses to the crash had also been questioned so that the police could piece together the final few moments that preceded the chopper crashing into the hillside.
Mr. Babu also said security had been stepped up across the district.
