A helicopter carrying West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost its way near the India-Bangladesh border while she was on her way to address an election rally at North Dinajpur on Wednesday.
According to the reports, the helicopter scare occurred after Mamata Banerjee travelled from Siliguri to Chopra in North Dinajpur, which is very close to the international border. A high-level inquiry has been ordered to investigate the matter. At around 1.05 pm, the helicopter carrying Mamata Banerjee took off from Siliguri and it was supposed to reach Chopra in North Dinajpur around 1.27 pm, but it finally reached the rally venue after 2 pm.
Addressing a public meeting at Chopra at North Dinajpur, Banerjee, said, “I am sorry I am late because the pilot was unable to locate this venue. He lost the direction. I was supposed to be here in 22 minutes (from Siliguri) but it took nearly 55 minutes for me to reach here.”
However, sources to News18 said that the helicopter had mistakenly entered Bihar but after several rounds of communication and with the help of a coloured smoke gun, the pilot managed to land the chopper at Chopra. As a result, the helicopter took 55 minutes to reach the venue, as against the normal time of 22 minutes.
Mamata Banerjee enjoys Z+ category security and the incident has sent ripples across the district administration. Z+ category has a security cover of 55 personnel including more than 10 NSG Commando along with some police personnel.