India-Pak tensions: Major changes announced at Airports for cargo, baggage checking; details here
New Delhi: In response to heightened security concerns, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been temporarily assigned the responsibility of overseeing the screening of cargo and check-in baggage at Indian civil airports. This expanded role, effective from May 9 to May 18, 2025, marks a significant shift from the previous arrangement, where these tasks were managed by airport operators and airlines.
According to a statement issued by the CISF, the Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) approved the temporary enhancement of CISF's duties to provide additional security oversight to cargo operations and the in-line hold baggage screening system (ILHBSS).
"To reinforce security arrangements at all civil airports, CISF will now supervise the operations and personnel involved in cargo and baggage screening. The force is also authorised to conduct random checks and maintain access control to these critical zones," the statement said.
Until now, CISF had been primarily responsible for pre-boarding passenger frisking and cabin baggage checks, while airport operators and airline staff handled cargo and check-in baggage screening. With this new directive, CISF has assumed broader authority in airport security protocols across the country.
The new measures have already been implemented at all CISF-covered airports nationwide.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13; body of last missing person recovered
Jabalpur (PTI): The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
"The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam," Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.
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All 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, he said, adding the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
Teams comprising around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were involved in the search operation, the police said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, according to the police.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, though the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
