Balakot Airstrike: Sack Group Captain for crashing own Mi-17, says General Court Martial

New Delhi: A General Court Martial (GCM) instituted by the Indian Air Force has recommended sacking of a Group Captain for the crash of a Mi-17 V5 helicopter in Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir after it was hit by a missile on February 27, 2019, official sources said on Tuesday.

The attack helicopter was struck by the IAF's own surface-to-air missile when the chopper was on its way back to Srinagar on the day Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a dogfight, according to a Court of Inquiry.

The sources said the GCM ordered dismissal of Group Captain Suman Roy Chowdhury, who was serving then as the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Srinagar Air Force Station.

Six IAF personnel on board the chopper and a civilian on the ground were killed in the crash.

The sources said the IAF can only act on the GCM's recommendation after a decision on a case relating to the incident by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

According to laid down norms, the Chief of Air Staff has to give an approval on the recommendation of the GCM for sacking of the official.

The sources said the order of the GCM will be put up before the IAF chief after a decision on the case by the court.

The GCM was constituted based on the findings of a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident.

The CoI into the incident found that the Mi-17 V-5 helicopter was hit by a ground-based missile.

The probe had found that the 'Identification of Friend or Foe' (IFF) system on-board the helicopter was switched off and there were "vital gaps" in communication and coordination between the ground staff and the crew of the chopper.  It also found violations of standard operating procedures. The IFF helps air defence radars identify whether an aircraft or helicopter is friendly or hostile.

The helicopter crashed in Budgam around 10 am on February 27 when Indian and Pakistani fighter jets were engaged in fierce aerial combat in Nowshera, a day after India's air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp in Balakot in Pakistan.