Vistara flight at IGI delayed for 8 hours as bomb scare found hoax
New Delhi, Aug 18: A Delhi-Pune Vistara airlines flight was delayed for around eight hours at the IGI Airport here after a bomb threat call which later turned out to be hoax, security sources and police said.
The bomb threat assessment committee declared the call, received at 7:38 am, non-specific or hoax at 2:15 pm. The airline was issued a security clearance for using the aircraft after extensive security checks, the sources said.
Flight UK971 was to depart at 8:30 am and finally left at 4.30 pm, according to police.
The sources said more than 100 passengers and five cabin crew were on board the Airbus A320 aircraft.
Vistara said, in a statement, that flight UK971 was delayed due to "mandatory security checks".
A senior Delhi Police officer said a threat call received at the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) control room in Gurugram was transferred to them through the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Following the call, search and combing operations were launched at the terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
"The passengers were de boarded and we checked the aircraft from inside and outside, but nothing suspicious was found. A case is being registered and further investigation is underway," the officer said.
Airport security sources said the caller said "three bombs have been kept in flight no UK971 parked at gate no 42 and they will explode in an hour". The call got disconnected immediately.
All passengers and crew of the flight were de-boarded and anti-sabotage checks were conducted in an isolation bay at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, they said.
The bomb threat assessment committee (BTAC) was convened soon after the call was received and bomb detection equipment and sniffer dogs were pressed into service by the CISF while passengers' luggage was sent for re-check, they added.
The airlines said it was cooperating with the security agencies.
"We confirm that the flight UK971, scheduled to fly from Delhi to Pune on 18 August 2023, is delayed due to mandatory security checks," it said.
"In the meanwhile, we are making all efforts to minimise inconvenience to our customers, including offering them refreshments," it said.
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HC says Bhojshala complex is Goddess Saraswati temple, scraps ASI order on namaz on premises
Indore (PTI): In a big win for the Hindu side, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday declared that the disputed Bhojshala complex in Dhar district is a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, and the Centre and ASI can decide on its administration and management.
The HC's Indore bench, which was hearing the case, also said the Muslim community, which called the 11th century monument Kamal Maula Mosque, may approach the state government for allotment of separate land in the district for construction of a mosque.
In its much-awaited verdict in the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex dispute, the court observed that there were indications of a Sanskrit teaching centre and a temple of Goddess Saraswati existing in Bhojshala.
The religious character of the disputed complex of Bhojshala-Kamal Maula Mosque indicates it is a temple of Goddess Saraswati, noted the HC.
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"If the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society applies for land allotment for building a mosque in Dhar district, the state government can consider it," maintained the division bench.
The HC scrapped the 2003 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) order which allowed Muslims to offer Friday prayers on Bhojshala premises.
Nearly 1,200 police personnel were deployed in and around the complex ahead of the HC ruling.
Dhar Collector Rajeev Ranjan Meena warned of strict action against anyone spreading objectionable content on social media, as the administration erected barricades at the site where Friday prayers coincided with the court verdict.
The long-running dispute pertains to the religious nature of the ASI-protected monument in Dhar district.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala to be a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side calls the monument Kamal Maula Mosque. A petitioner from the Jain community claims the disputed complex is a medieval Jain temple and gurukul.
After the controversy over the Bhojshala complex erupted, the ASI issued an order on April 7, 2003, permitting Hindus to worship at the complex every Tuesday and Muslims to offer namaz there every Friday. The Hindu side challenged the order in the HC, seeking exclusive rights to worship at the complex.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the HC's Indore bench began regular hearings on five petitions and one writ appeal related to the case on April 6 this year.
After hearing all the parties against the backdrop of differing religious beliefs, historical claims, complex legal provisions, and thousands of documents related to the disputed monument, the bench had reserved its decision on May 12.
During the hearing, petitioners from the Hindu, Muslim, and Jain communities presented detailed arguments and sought exclusive worship rights for their communities at the monument.
The ASI, after conducting a scientific survey of the monument, indicated in its over 2,000-page report that a massive structure dating back to the reign of the Parmar kings of Dhar predated the mosque, and that the current disputed structure was built using repurposed temple components.
The Hindu side claimed that coins, sculptures, and inscriptions found by the ASI during its scientific survey prove the complex was originally a temple.
However, the Muslim side argued in court that the ASI's survey report was "biased" and prepared to support the claims of the Hindu petitioners.
Refuting this, the ASI told the court the scientific survey process was carried out with the help of experts, including three from the Muslim community.
The HC had ordered the ASI to conduct a scientific survey of the Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex on March 11, 2024. The ASI began the survey on March 22 that year and, after a detailed 98-day survey, submitted its report to the High Court on July 15.
