Shillong, Oct 7 : The Rafale fighter jets are "highly capable" and will be a game changer for the Air Force, Chief of the Eastern Air Command Air Marshal R Nambiar has said.

All Air Force units in the region, except for some in West Bengal, will get the modern platforms, including the Rafale, the Chinook and the Apache attack helicopters, Air Marshal Nambiar told mediapersons here Saturday.

"The Rafale is an excellent aircraft. I had the opportunity to fly it in France two weeks ago. Let me assure you that this is a very good platform, highly capable and a game changer. Its presence in this area would give us a lot of deterrence," he said.

"It provides us with a huge modicum of capability which never existed in this part of the world," he said.

On being asked if the capability enhancement of the command is to deter any country, including China, he said the capability enhancement was for India.

He also said the Rafale would be based in Hasimara, West Bengal, in the command close to the Assam border.

The IAF Eastern Air Command kicked off a two-day air-fest here to celebrate the 86th Air Force Day.

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Bengaluru, Mar 18 (PTI): A family allegedly attempted to send an elderly man in a "parcel" through a courier service in protest against high bus fares ahead of Ugadi and Eid-ul-Fitr, police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in the Vyalikaval area of central Bengaluru on Tuesday evening, they said.

According to police, the family approached a private courier centre claiming they wanted to parcel the man as a symbolic message to the public over rising fares in both private and government buses.

Startled by the request, the courier staff alerted the police.

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During the inquiry, the elderly man's daughter said the act was staged as a protest and to create a social media reel. As part of the stunt, the family had placed the elderly man inside a gunny sack, a senior police officer said.

Police said the situation turned serious when the man experienced breathing difficulties inside the sack. Subsequently, the family apologised to the police and the public for their actions.

The officials warned that the act could have endangered the man's life and attracted serious legal consequences.

"No legal action was taken against them. However, the family was let off with a warning after issuing a video apology and were strictly cautioned against such dangerous stunts in the future, the officer added.