Even as several sorties by its Mi-17 V5 helicopters airlifted the injured personnel and the bodies to Jagdalpur on Tuesday morning, the IAF made it clear that its choppers could not immediately swing into action since dusk was fast approaching by the time it got the SOS late on Monday afternoon.
"More importantly, there was no clarity on whether the landing area at the encounter site in the jungle had been sanitized. There is a joint defence ministry-home ministry SOP (stand operating procedure) in place for such contingencies," said an official.
"The Mi-17 V5s have night-flying capabilities but a proper landing facility as well as a sanitized zone around it is required to operate the helicopters safely. There is no disconnect between IAF and CRPF on the ground. Each situation is dynamic and the joint decision is taken by the commanders on the spot," he added.
Incidentally, an IAF helicopter on another rescue mission to evacuate five injured paramilitary jawans in the same area had come under fire from the Maoists on November 21. It was the sixth time that IAF helicopters, which are providing logistical and reconnaissance support to the ongoing anti-Naxal operations, came under attack from the Maoists.
The police forces are usually required to "sanitise" a 1.5-km area around a helipad since helicopters are the most vulnerable while taking-off and landing. The "rules of engagement" allow IAF personnel to retaliate in self-defence but "offensive air operations" against the extremists are prohibited. At least six armour-plated Mi-17 helicopters of IAF, each of which carry two to four Garud commandos on board, are currently deployed in the anti-Naxal operations.
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