IAF Cheetah makes precautionary landing on an empty field in Bengal

Kolkata, May 6 (IANS) The landing of a military helicopter on a field near Siliguri in north Bengal on Tuesday led to considerable tension among locals.

The incident comes a day ahead of mock drills to be conducted across the country in preparation for a possible military conflict between India and Pakistan over the massacre of 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country, at the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam on April 22.

Drills will be held at 30 locations in West Bengal on Wednesday, including at Siliguri, which is a strategic location. The Siliguri corridor, also known as the 'Chicken Neck', connects India's northeastern states with the rest of the country.

According to sources, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Cheetah took off from the Salugara military base nearby and was on a routine sortie that involved checking movement close to the vital Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) underground pipeline that runs through the region.

"It was returning to base when the pilots spotted an alarm light on the console. They immediately made a precautionary landing on an empty field near Thakurnagar in the Dabgram-II Block of Siliguri. Locals gathered on seeing the helicopter descend. Given the situation, some believed that the helicopter may have flown in from across the border. Fortunately, nobody approached, and somebody alerted the police, and a team rushed to the spot. By then, teams from Salugara and Air Force Station Bagdogra had also reached the spot," an official said.

He said that the police explained the situation to the locals and made them disperse, adding that the technical experts of the IAF inspected the helicopter and declared it fit to fly. The pilots then flew it back to Salugara.

Officials confirmed that nobody was injured and there was no damage to property.

"Such precautionary landings do take place. These are different from emergency landings. There was no damage to the aircraft. Locals had gathered out of curiosity. However, there was a possibility of them mobbing the aircraft and the pilots. It was good that the police arrived and took control of the situation," an IAF official said.

--IANS

jayanta/dan