Minister rules out Naxal attack on AP CM's chopper

Ruling out the possibility of Naxals having brought down the helicopter of Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy, Union minister MM Pallam Raju today said the mishap that claimed Reddy's life took place due to bad weather.

"The possibility of a Naxal strike on the chief minister's helicopter is ruled out completely. It is an accident due to bad weather. There is no hand of Naxalites," the minister of State for Defence said here.

He said the wreckage of the helicopter that crashed in Nallamalla forest area yesterday was traced with the help of Air Force fighter jet Su-30MKI's radar scan and with ISRO's satellite images early this morning and three helicopters that were pressed into service this morning reached the crash site.

Armed Forces commandos were air-dropped near the site, while other personnel reached the spot by foot, he said.

Asked if the Air Force would help in the crash investigation, Raju said the IAF would not be involved and that the state authorities had taken over the probe into the accident.

On inadequate night vision equipment in the armed forces, the minister said there certainly was a need to have more of these.

"Modernisation is certainly taking place. It is not as though the armed forces are bereft of night vision equipment. We certainly need them in more numbers," he added.