Dad was a hero: Lidder’s daughter

New Delhi: Brigadier L S Lidder, who died along with 12 others in the chopper crash in Tamil Nadu, was cremated with full military honours at the Brar Square crematorium here on Friday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Haryana Chief Minister M L Khattar earlier in the morning laid wreaths on Lidder’s mortal remains, which were kept at Brar Square in Delhi cantonment before the cremation.

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

Geetika Lidder, wife of Brigadier Lidder, told reporters after the cremation that she is feeling more pain than any pride.

“Life is too long to spend but if this is the wish of God, we will live with it. This is not the way we wanted him back,” she stated.

She mentioned that he was a very good father and their daughter will really miss him. “It is a big loss,” she added.

Daughter Aashna Lidder said she is 17 years old and she will keep all the good memories of the 17 years she spent with her father. “I am happy he did not have to suffer. It is a national loss. My father was a hero,” she mentioned.

She said her father was a happy-go-lucky person and was her best friend. “He used to infuse passion not just in me but in every person. He was a great motivator,” she noted. “I feel scared as I was really pampered by my father,” he added. 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 in December 1990 and commanded a battalion of the JAKRIF in Congo as UN peacekeeping force. Meanwhile, the funeral of Prithvi Singh Chauhan will be conducted on Saturday with full military honours in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. —(PTI)