Nothing unusual about search of helicopters used by Rahul Gandhi, Abhishek Banerjee: EC sources

According to EC sources, all district magistrates and superintendents of police were asked to keep a strict vigil in airfields and helipads in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Searches were taking place in public and private airfields across the country to make sure that freebies meant for distribution to voters were not being transported through private planes and helicopters, they added.

These instructions had contributed to the huge amount of cash, liquor, drugs and freebies already seized during the elections, they said.

The TMC had on Sunday complained to the EC about the Income Tax Department’s search of a helicopter that was to be used by Abhishek Banerjee to go to Haldia on Monday. The party claimed this was a deliberate attempt to harass Opposition candidates.

The party said the I-T officials did not find anything during the search but threatened to “detain the chopper illegally”. Banerjee said his security personnel had recorded a video of the incident, but the officials made them delete it.