Over 30 flights receive bomb threats on Saturday; BCAS holds meeting with airlines
New Delhi/ Mumbai, Oct 19: More than 30 flights operated by Indian airlines received bomb threats on Saturday, sending security agencies into a tizzy and causing hardships to hundreds of passengers as well as staff at airports.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) held a meeting with CEOs and representatives of airlines in the national capital.
Flights of Air India, Vistara, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Star Air, and Alliance Air received bomb threats on Saturday, sources in the know said.
So far this week, more than 70 domestic and international flights of Indian airlines have received bomb threats, with most of them turning out to be hoaxes.
As many as six flights of Vistara, five each of IndiGo and Akasa Air received security threats, according to the airlines.
The sources said more than 30 flights received bomb threats mostly through social media since Saturday morning. In at least one of the flights, a note was found in the lavatory saying there was a bomb in the flight.
The five flights of Vistara that received threats are UK106 (Singapore to Mumbai), UK027 (Mumbai to Frankfurt), UK107 (Mumbai to Singapore), UK121 (Delhi to Bangkok) and UK131 (Mumbai to Colombo).
"Following the protocol, all relevant authorities were promptly alerted and all security procedures are being adhered to, as per the guidance from the authorities and security agencies," an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
Besides, there was a security concern regarding Vistara flight UK624 from Udaipur to Mumbai, and after landing, the aircraft was taken to an isolation bay for mandatory checks.
A note was found in the lavatory of the aircraft saying there is a bomb in the flight, a source in the know said.
Also, the airline's flight UK027 from Mumbai to Frankfurt had a security concern and the flight landed safely at the Frankfurt airport. In the morning, the flight had received a bomb threat through social media.
Akasa Air received security threats for five flights -- QP 1323 (Bengaluru to Guwahati), QP 1371 (Goa to Mumbai), QP 1373 (Bagdogra to Bengaluru), QP 1385 (Mumbai to Bagdogra), and QP 1405 (Hyderabad to Delhi).
"Following defined procedures and after thorough inspections of all five aircraft, they have been released," an airline spokesperson said.
IndiGo issued statements for five flights in relation to threats received by them. They are 6E17 (Mumbai to Istanbul), 6E11 (Delhi to Istanbul), 6E184 (Jodhpur to Delhi), 6E108 (Hyderabad to Chandigarh), and 6E58 (Jeddah to Mumbai).
Regarding the two flights to Istanbul, the airline said the passengers disembarked safely.
The Jodhpur-Delhi flight, the carrier said, landed in the national capital and customers have disembarked the aircraft.
About the Hyderabad-Chandigarh flight, and Jeddah-Mumbai flight, IndiGo said upon landing, the aircraft were isolated and all passengers were safely disembarked.
Among others, an Alliance Air flight from Kochi to Bengaluru received a bomb threat.
With a significant number of flights receiving threats, passengers as well as staff at some of the airports faced a tough time since the planes concerned were moved to isolation bays and security protocol had to be followed.
The handle on X, through which some of the bomb threats to flights were issued, has been deactivated.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry plans to put in place strict norms to prevent incidents of hoax bomb threats to airlines, including placing the perpetrators in the no-fly list.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
