GUWAHATI: An IAF chopper pilot who took AICC general
secretary Rahul Gandhi to riot-hit areas of lower Assam from Guwahati
airport on Tuesday refused to ferry him back citing bad weather. The
pilot stood his ground despite defence minister A K Antony intervening.
"Guwahati
ATC had cleared its flight but the IAF had a bad weather report," a
source said. The chopper carried Rahul to Kokrajhar from Dhubri, from
where he returned to Guwahati by road. Rahul will fly back to New Delhi
by a special aircraft on Tuesday morning.
Chief minister Tarun
Gogoi, who accompanied Rahul by the same chopper, is returning by train .
The IAF refused to reveal the name of its pilot.
"The IAF earlier
rejected Salakati helipad for the chopper's landing in Kokrajhar saying
it was unsafe.
A new helipad was built overnight at nearby Bongaigaon
stadium. The IAF again refused to land at Bongaigaon and took the
chopper to Kokrajhar at 2.45 pm. The weather over Kokrajhar was alright
but the pilot said that weather over Guwahati wasn't suitable for
flying. At 5.30 pm, Rahul returned to Guwahati by road," a source said.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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