SRI NAGAR: Army’s Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had a narrow escape after the helicopter, carrying him and others made an emergency landing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch on Thursday. The pilot and a civilian were injured in the emergency landing. The army has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident. An army official said Army’s Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) with Lt Gen Ranbir Singh and seven others, including two pilots on board, was on a sortie from Udhampur to Poonch in the afternoon when it developed a technical snag and executed a forced landing at Mandi area.
The locals rushed to the spot and assisted in the rescue operation.Defence spokesman Lt Colonel Devender Anand said all passengers and crew sustained injuries. “The injured were evacuated to Command Hospital Udhampur. According to the medical investigation, all have sustained blunt and superficial injuries but are stable,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Poonch Rajesh Yadav said the civilian suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital after being given first aid treatment. Sources said Lt Gen Singh, along with other officers, was on a visit to forward areas of Poonch and Rajouri district to assess the situation along the LoC given recent ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops.