Activist wants Jet Airways booked for 'attempted murder'
Mumbai, Sep 21 : A day after 30 passengers of a Jet Airways flight suffered bleeding through ears and nose, a Mumbai activist on Friday asked the police to book the airline for 'attempted murder'.
Activist Asad Ashraf Patel, who also runs a local newspaper, lodged the complaint with Sahar Police Station through his lawyer, Rajkumarlaxman Arjunrao Rajhuns.
In the four-pager, Patel has accused the crew of Jet Airways of 'dereliction of duty' and 'poor crisis management' leading to the incident on September 20 on its Mumbai-Jaipur flight No. 9W-0697.
The complainant said that after watching the entire episode unfurling on the media, he himself called up the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) authorities who confirmed the same.
"After an hour of high-altitude flying, the flight had to make an emergency landing and about 30 passengers had blood (in ears and nose) and the rest were suffocating, putting the travelers in death-bed situation and condition," said Patel.
He alleged that this amounts to 'attempted murder' of all the 166 passengers on-board and the airline and its crew must be booked under the relevant Indian Penal Code sections.
In an unprecedented development in Indian aviation history, at least 30 passengers of the early Thursday morning Jet Airways flight suffered nasal and ear bleeding due to low cabin pressure after the cockpit crew reportedly failed to activate what is called a 'bleed switch' before take-off.
This led to an imbalance in the cabin pressure and oxygen masks were deployed with which most passengers breathed.
Taking serious cognizance of the incident, the government ordered a safety audit plan for the entire aviation industry to be submitted by Director General of Civil Aviation within 30 days, while Jet Airways derostered the cockpit crew pending investigations.
Though the incident was first of its kind in Indian skies, there have been a few similar ones with disastrous consequences elsewhere in the world.
In August 2005, a Helios Airways flight from Cyprus to Athens had suffered a loss in cabin pressure which immobilized the crew, the plane flew on autopilot till the fuel ran out and it crashed, killed all 121 passengers and the crew on board.
A similar incident was recorded in April 1988, when an Aloha Airlines flight between Hili and Honolulu in Hawaii Islands suffered huge damage after an explosive decompression, but managed to land safely at Kahului Airport in Maui.
However, one flight attendant Clarabelle Lansing was killed after getting ejected from the aircraft.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
