Taherpur, West Bengal | December 20, 2025
In a dramatic turn of events today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter was unable to land at the designated venue for a scheduled public meeting in Taherpur, Nadia district, West Bengal. The incident, which forced the PM’s convoy to make last-minute logistical changes, has ignited a fierce political blame game and raised serious questions about security and protocol arrangements.
According to official sources from the Special Protection Group (SPG) and the state administration, the PM’s pilot aborted the landing at the temporary helipad near the rally ground due to “sudden low visibility and adverse wind conditions.” Local eyewitnesses, however, reported clear skies, leading to immediate speculation and conflicting narratives. The chopper, part of the PM’s air convoy, subsequently diverted to a secondary, pre-designated helipad at the Barrackpore Air Force Station. From there, the Prime Minister travelled to the rally by road, covering a distance of approximately 25 kilometres, which caused a delay of nearly 90 minutes in the start of the public address.
The incident occurred in the highly charged political atmosphere of West Bengal, where the BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) are locked in a bitter and ongoing rivalry. The Prime Minister, upon finally taking the stage, did not mince words. “Those who cannot provide basic security and logistics for a Prime Minister’s visit have no right to govern,” he declared, directly targeting the state government. He framed the event as a “deliberate attempt” to disrupt his connect with the people of Bengal and an insult to the constitutional post he holds.
The Trinamool Congress government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, categorically rejected the allegations. State Minister and senior TMC leader Shashi Panja stated, “The state administration extended all necessary cooperation as per the Blue Book protocol. The decision to abort landing was a technical one, taken solely by the SPG and the pilot for safety reasons. Attempts to politicise a standard safety procedure are cheap and desperate.” The state government released meteorological data indicating gusty winds in the Taherpur area at the time of the scheduled landing.
Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Left Front, have demanded a high-level, transparent inquiry. “This is a severe security lapse. Was it a genuine weather issue, a failure of intelligence, or a sabotage of arrangements? The people of India deserve to know the truth,” said Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera.
Security analysts note that while weather is an unpredictable factor in VVIP movements, the presence of a pre-planned alternate route and helipad shows protocol was followed. However, the massive political fallout overshadows the procedural aspects. The Union Home Ministry is reportedly seeking a detailed report from the state government and its own agencies.
The aborted landing has not only disrupted a major political rally but has also added another volatile chapter to the Centre-State tensions in West Bengal, ensuring that the incident will dominate national political discourse in the days to come.
