Air India flight from Delhi to Bengaluru diverted to Chennai due to 'operational reasons'
Bengaluru, Mar 24 (PTI): An Air India flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru was diverted to Chennai on Monday due to certain "operational reasons on the runway," sources said.
Air India confirmed that its flight AI2415 was diverted to Chennai.
The flight departed from Delhi at 9.55 am and was scheduled to reach Bengaluru at 12.50 pm.
It is learned that the plane was refuelled in Chennai before leaving for Bengaluru at 1.38 pm.
"Yes, there was a diversion for our Delhi-Bengaluru flight. It was only for a short while, and the flight returned immediately after the restriction was lifted," an Air India official told PTI.
The flight was diverted to Chennai due to operational reasons and returned to Bengaluru shortly thereafter, he added.
However, a source at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which manages Kempegowda International Airport, said there was no such restriction.
He explained that a notice is issued every Monday stating that flights cannot land or take off from the south runway for an hour due to maintenance.
"All flights and airline companies are aware of the restriction on the south runway," the source said.
"To land on the northern runway, which is older, pilots require specific expertise. If a pilot does not have the necessary certification, they cannot land on the northern runway—only for that one-hour window," the source explained.
He emphasised that there is no restriction, but this practice has been followed for a long time.
"We haven’t stopped any aircraft from landing, but it needs to be checked with the airline if they faced any issues," he added.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
