SRINAGAR: An investigation has found that five Indian officers were involved in shooting down a Mi-17VF chopper near Srinagar in Budgam district of occupied Kashmir on February 27 which left six Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel dead.

The friendly fire from the Spyder (an Israel-made air defence missile system) took place at the time when India and Pakistan were engaged in dogfight about a 100 kilometers away and the Indian Air Defence was on a high alert after they allegedly carried out airstrike inside Pakistan’s Balakot district.

Indian local media reported government sources as saying that the court of inquiry had found five military officers responsible for the copter crash. The responsible officer include two flight lieutenants, two wing commanders and one group captain.

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The Indian government and the IAF top brass want strict punishment to the officers operating the air defence system for killing of six IAF officers and one citizen.

Sources said the accused mistook the copter as a missile coming towards the Srinagar air base.

The inquiry was reportedly delayed because the black was allegedly stolen by “some hostile elements” in the area.

The capability of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was exposed in February this year when it locked horns with its Pakistani counterpart and lost its two fighter jets and got arrested Indian Wing Commander Abhinandan. In the PAF shot down MiG-21 during a dogfight.