PATHANAMTHITTA: A helicopter of the Indian Air Force made a low approach at the helipad at Nilakkal, the base camp for the Sabarimala pilgrimage, around 11am on Thursday, before taking off without landing.
The helicopter descended towards the helipad and remained at a low altitude for around 10 seconds before flying back. The helicopter had reportedly arrived from the Thiruvananthapuram base.
Police officials said they had not received any prior information about the helicopter’s movement. Normally, the police get information about such movements, while the local administration is also expected to be informed if the flight is related to disaster management activities, they said.
“The helicopter movement was understood to be part of disaster management training. However, the police did not receive any information about it.
Only the authorities of the Air Force can clarify why it returned after remaining above the helipad for around 10 seconds,” a senior police official attached to the Pampa police station said.
According to the officer, the helicopter was understood to have conducted two sorties--one at Jadayupara and another at Nilakkal.
The official also pointed out that the latest incident at Nilakkal was different from an earlier incident at Sannidhanam, where a helicopter was seen flying at an unusually low altitude over the temple. Helicopters used to operate from the Nilakkal helipad, unlike at the Sannidhanam area, the officer said.
The incident has nevertheless raised questions over coordination and communication regarding helicopter movements in the Sabarimala pilgrimage zone.