CoI to look into decision to leave damaged chopper behind: IAF

The CoI will look into all the aspects of the incident, IAF officials said when asked if the force would probe the decision by its personnel and Garud security guards to leave behind the chopper with weapons and injured personnel on-board unguarded.

The incident had occurred last week on Friday when a Mi-17 helicopter on a casualty evacuation mission came under fire from naxals. It had crash landed after the 15 hits caused extensive damage.

The helicopter, which had seven persons on-board, was fired when it was descending to pick up an injured jawan of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force which was conducting a road-opening operation along with CRPF.

Reports suggested that the air crew and two Garud guards left behind the chopper with two machine guns on-board to get help from the nearby CRPF camp.

The chopper was today brought back to its base in Jagdalpur after two days of repairs by IAF technicians, who prepared it for flying in record time.

"Despite the extensive damage, our team of motivated and dedicated air warriors worked round-the-clock that too away from base and successfully repaired the helicopter in record time and was flown back to base at 1645 hours today," IAF spokesperson Wg Cdr Gerard Galway said here.

"The helicopter is fully serviceable and back into operations to support the paramilitary forces operating in that area," he said.