Arunachal Congress leaders hint at conspiracy in former CM's death

Throwing dark hints of a possible conspiracy in the death of former chief minister Dorjee Khandu in a chopper crash in Tawang on April 30, a few leading Arunachal Pradesh Congressmen have written to the Prime Minister to initiate a CBI or NIA inquiry into the episode.

Throwing dark hints of a possible conspiracy in the death of former chief minister Dorjee Khandu in a chopper crash in Tawang on April 30, a few leading Arunachal Pradesh Congressmen have written to the Prime Minister to initiate a CBI or NIA inquiry into the episode.

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A letter to PM Manmohan Singh by Nabam Tuki (state Congress president), Mukut Mithi (Rajya Sabha MP) and Sanjoy Takam (Lok Sabha MP), said: "As per the preliminary report submitted by the inquiry committee headed by chief Air Marshal (retd) PS Ahluwalia, there was no data flight recorder or cockpit voice recorder in the helicopter. This is indeed intriguing."

"Another factor that baffle us in the circumstances that immediately preceded Late Khandu's death is that after consenting to be the 'Guest of Honour', he had shown an exceptional urgency to skip the North East Parliamentary Conference at ltanagar on April 28, 2011, which was to be presided by the Lok Sabha Speaker and attended by all legislative assembly speakers of all northeastern states."

The Congressmen also questioned the route taken via the Sela Pass which is a shorter route to Itanagar but much riskier. The safer route from Tawang to Itanagar is via Guwahati.

The single engine Eurocopter (AS-B350-B-3) was flying the CM to Itanagar, contrary to government directive that only twin-engine aircraft/helicopter should be used for flying VIPs. Besides the CM, the crash claimed four more lives.

Significantly, led by Tuki, about 24 MLAs have been camping in the capital since July 23, demanding the removal of present CM Jarbom Gamlin. This group includes four ministers. Although they accuse Gamlin of fomenting disunity in the state's social fabric and nepotism, the root of the present problem lies also in the 'hurried and arbitrary' manner in which Gamlin was appointed the CM and in the allotment of portfolios where the wide-ranging experience of senior Congress leaders was seen as being ignored in the process.