The Indian Air Force could not send helicopters to the spot where Naxals ambushed CRPF jawans in Chintagufa area of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh as the area was not sanitised, Defence Ministry sources while reacting to reports that IAF helicopters failed to respond to the attack.
Air Force helicopters operate in clear coordination with the Home Ministry as per the laid down Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
In this case, the request for helicopters came at 1642 hrs but the coordinating committee decided against it as the area was not sanitised.
There have been several instances of Naxals firing on Air Force helicopters in the past and a few personnel have lost their lives in some instances. So, as a procedure, suitable landing spots have to be indentified in the dense jungle and surrounding area for 1.5 km has to be cleared for the helicopters to land.
There are Garuds, Air Force commandoes, in each helicopter but there are strict rules of engagement. Air Force can respond with small arms fire only in the case of self defence when fired upon.
In Chintagufa, nearby reinforcements couldn’t rush to the spot due to the scare of Improvised Electronic Devices (IED). The CRPF jawans who were attacked were on area domination meant to clear and sanitise areas.
IAF helicopters undertook a full-scale evacuation on Tuesday morning, sources said.
