An Indian Air Force Advanced Light Helicopter on Wednesday made a precautionary landing during flood relief operations in Bihar’s Sitamarhi sector. The authorities said that four personnel, including two pilots, were on board, and all are safe.

Taking to X, the IAF has informed that all crew are reported to be safe, with no damage to civilian life or property. Rakesh Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police said that the helicopter was returning from Darbhanga after air-dropping relief supplies. He added that the helicopter made an emergency landing in a water-logged area in Aurai block. He said that all the occupants were IAF personnel and they were pulled out by locals by the time officials reached the spot.

Subrat Kumar Sen, District magistrate said that all four occupants appear safe and unharmed. Nonetheless, as a precaution, all the four personnel, including two pilots are being taken to a local hospital for check-up and treatment, if required. Furthermore, the Indian Air Force has ordered an inquiry to get further details on the landing. 

Several videos of the incident have gone viral on social media, showing the helicopter resting in shoulder-deep water. Locals hurried to the spot to assist in the rescue. Reportedly, large areas of land are underwater near the Nepal border owing to the water released from a barrage on the border. Several districts of Bihar got flooded along the rivers Gandak and Kosi in the past few days. 

The disaster management authority has informed that the flood has affected 368 panchayats in 78 blocks of 16 districts and nearly 11.8 lakh people are facing hardship because of the flood. It further asserted that the Indian Air Force helicopters are actively helping people in Sitamarhi and Darbhanga districts. Reports stated that helicopters have air dropped food packets and other relief materials, benefiting more than 200,000 people.  

Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Wednesday announced the launch of his political outfit Jan Suraaj Party, a much-anticipated move by which he hopes to take the political landscape in Bihar by storm and promised to remove the liquor ban if elected to power in the state.

The party was launched at Veterinary College Ground in the state capital in the presence of many renowned figures, including former Union Minister Devendra Prasad Yadav, diplomat-turned-politician Pavan Varma and ex-MP Monazir Hassan.

“Today, all of you have come to discuss about the launch of a new party, about the prospects of a new future for your children from this land of knowledge and democracy. Be patient, listen to the speakers and spread the motto of this party everywhere,” Kishor said.

The party was floated exactly two years after Kishor had embarked on a more than 3,000-km-long ‘padayatra’ of the state, from Champaran where Mahatma Gandhi had launched the first Satyagraha in the country, in a bid to mobilise the people for a “new political alternative” that could cure Bihar of its chronic backwardness.

Speaking on the occasion, Kishor said the party has been active for the past two or three years and recently received approval from the Election Commission of India.

Attacking the previous government, the I-pac founder said that earlier governments had not given proper importance to the education system in the state, adding that he called for a significant overhaul education system.  

The Jan Suraaj Party founder said that Rs 5 lakh crore will be required over the next decade to achieve a world-class education system in the state.

Emphasising the liquor ban in the state, Kishor said, “When the liquor ban will be removed, that money won’t go into the budget and will not be used for the security of leaders, nor it will be used for roads, water and electricity. That will be used only for building a new education system in Bihar. Every year, Bihar is facing a loss of Rs 20,000 crore due to the liquor ban. He suggested that this could be directed toward educational reform.”

India expressed deep concern over the fresh escalation in the Middle East following Iran’s missile attacks on Israel. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the conflict must not take a wider regional dimension while calling for restraint among parties. 

Issuing a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) underlined that the dialogue and diplomacy should be channelised to resolve all conflicting issues. The statement added that India is deeply concerned at the escalation of the security situation in West Asia and reiterates their call for restraint by all concerned and protection of civilians. 

The statement continued that it is important that the conflict doesn’t take a wider regional dimension and they urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy.

This statement follows a day after Iran, in an unprecedented attack on Israel, fired over 180 ballistic missiles on the Jewish nation. Reports stated that alarms sounded across Israel and explosions were heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley. Furthermore, Israelis piled into bomb shelters and reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards said that hypersonic Fattah missiles were used for the first time, and 90 per cent of them hit their targets in Israel.

Israeli Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that most missiles were intercepted by Israel and a defensive coalition led by the US. He tweeted that Iran’s attack is a severe and dangerous escalation.

Notably, the Middle East has been witnessing a tumultuous security situation for nearly one year after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking hostage over 200 others. The attack triggered the war in Gaza, which has killed over 41,000 people.