Lagatar24 Desk
Hyderabad, Dec.18: Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari has said that the Court of Inquiry being conducted by a tri-services inquiry team will be a fair procedure, and the mandate assigned to it is to explore every single facet of the incident.
Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari told reporters on the sidelines of the Combined Graduation Parade at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, near Hyderabad, that the investigation will take “a few more weeks” and that he would not wish to comment on any of the conclusions of the court of inquiry.
“I would not like to preempt any of the findings of the court of inquiry, because it’s a thorough process. The mandate given to him (Air Marshal Manavendra Singh) is to investigate every single angle and look into every single aspect of what could have gone wrong and come out with the suitable recommendations and findings,” he said.
The AF chief was responding to a question about the investigation and the scenario and circumstances surrounding the chopper crash that killed India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, his wife, and 12 other armed forces members on December 8 in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu.
“I would recommend that I do not make any announcement in haste about what could have been the cause or what are the remedial actions that we are going to institute. So, we will just have to wait for a few more weeks till he completes the court of inquiry. Let me assure you that it is a very, very fair process, the entire court of inquiry,” he further said.
Following the incident, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh notified Parliament that an investigation into the helicopter crash has begun by a tri-services probe team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh.
The Air Force commander noted earlier in his speech at the passing out parade that the nature of warfare is changing fundamentally, and that India’s security dynamics entail complex threats and challenges, necessitating the development of multidomain capabilities.
He also stated that the Air Force is on the verge of becoming a very capable air force, with numerous new additions such as Rafale planes, Apache helicopters, and a variety of advanced or sophisticated technology.
“The nature of warfare is undergoing fundamental changes. New technology and radically new doctrines have emerged in the last few years. India’s security dynamics involve multifaceted threats and challenges. It will require us to build multi domain capabilities and execute all our operations simultaneously and in shortened time frames,” he said.
