File pic of injured radio operator being rescued after the attack on Mi-17 chopper.
In January, when Naxals opened fire at an Indian Air Force helicopter that was landing in Chhattisgarh, one of the headlines of the encounter was that the captain, crew and two commandos abandoned the helicopter.
They fled to safety in a paramilitary camp nearby, leaving behind a light machine gun, other weapons and an injured radio operator who had been helping navigate the landing in the thick forest area.
An inquiry by the Air Force has said that the captain and others on the helicopter did not run away out of cowardice. Military ethics and protocol warn against abandoning an injured comrade or weapons, but the inquiry has endorsed the decision of Wing Commander TS Singh. "The decision to seek help rather than leave behind a section to protect the injured man and machine was found to be correct," a senior Air Force official told NDTV.
"The explanation given by captain to abandon an injured man and machine and seek help has been accepted as plausible," he added.
The MI-17 helicopter was on a rescue mission to evacuate a wounded solider from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) when it was showered with bullets. The captain and crew's reaction had provoked a sharp response from the union home ministry
Sources also tell NDTV that the Air Force's enquiry has thrown up new recommendations for the Standard Operating Procedure for anti-Maoist operations. Suggestions include increasing the number of elite Garud commandos for each mission, carrying more medical supplies to deal with any injured personnel, and bullet-proof jackets for the crew and commandos.