Shooting down chopper on Feb 27 was "big mistake", says IAF chief
New Delhi, Oct 4: Air Chief Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria on Friday described as a "big mistake" the IAF shooting down its helicopter in Kashmir on February 27, when Indian and Pakistani forces engaged in a dogfight, and said punitive action is being taken against the guilty.
The operational preparedness of the IAF has been of a very high order and it achieved a number of operational milestones last year, including the Balakot strikes, Bhadauria said at the Indian Air Force's annual press conference.
The IAF is prepared to meet any contingency and does not rest on past laurels, Bhadauria said.
Ahead of the press conference, the IAF also showed representational video clips of the Balakot strikes.
Pakistan lost an F-16 and India a MiG-21 in aerial engagement with the Pakistan Air Force a day after the Balakot strikes, IAF chief Bhadauria said.
Talking about the IAF shooting down its own Mi-17 helicopter in Budgam on the morning of February 27, he said it was a "big mistake on our part".
A Court of inquiry has submitted its report and the IAF is taking punitive action against the guilty, he said.
Disciplinary action is being taken against two officers in the shooting down of the chopper, the IAF chief said.
A surface-to-air missile of the Indian Air Force brought down the Mi-17 aircraft in Kashmir's Budgam on the morning of February 27 when the Indian and Pakistani air forces were engaged in a fierce dogfight, a high-level probe had concluded in August.
Bhadauria also said acquisition of Rafale aircraft and S400 air defence systems will greatly enhance IAF's operational capabilities.
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West Bengal Class 12 results declared; overall pass percentage 91.23%
Kolkata (PTI): The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education on Thursday announced the results of its Class 12 examination, which recorded an overall pass percentage of 91.23 per cent.
The results included those of the candidates from the fourth semester under the new system, supplementary candidates of the third semester, and students appearing under the old annual examination pattern.
While the pass percentage among girls stood at 92.47 per cent, boys recorded a pass percentage of 89.71 per cent.
As many as 64 candidates -- including 56 boys and eight girls -- featured in the top 10 list. Adrito Pal of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya secured the first rank in the state by scoring 496 out of 500 marks.
Jishnu Kundu of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyapith Purulia and Ritobrata Nath of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya secured the second rank with 495 marks each.
Candidates dissatisfied with their fourth-semester results would be allowed to reappear in the examination next year after surrendering the current year's result.
According to official data, a total of 7,10,811 candidates appeared for the higher secondary examination this year.
Of them, 6,35,864 students appeared in the final semester examination under the new system, 59,452 candidates took the supplementary examination for the second semester, and 15,495 students appeared under the old annual examination pattern.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari congratulated all students who have passed the higher secondary examination in a post on X.
"Your hard work, perseverance, and self-confidence have taken the form of success. May the success inspire you to dream even bigger on the path ahead. I wish that your future be bright, that you get success in every field and that you bring glory to your family, society, and state," he wrote on social media.
