Iran denies 'cover-up' over shot down airliner
Tehran: Iran's government on Monday denied a "cover-up" after it took days for the armed forces to admit a Ukrainian airliner was shot down by mistake last week.
The comments came after a second night of demonstrations in Tehran against the authorities over the air disaster, according to videos shared on social media. The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737 was shot down shortly after it took off from Tehran before dawn on Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board.
The Kiev-bound airliner was brought down hours after Iran had launched a wave of missiles at US troops stationed at Iraqi bases in retaliation for the killing of a top Iranian general.
The Islamic republic initially denied Western claims based on US intelligence that the passenger plane had been struck by a missile before admitting it on Saturday. "In these sorrowful days, many criticisms were directed at relevant officials and authorities," said government spokesman Ali Rabiei.
"Some officials were even accused of lying and a cover-up but, in all honesty, that was not the case," he said in remarks aired on state television.
"Lying is intentionally and knowingly faking the truth. Lying is covering up. Lying is knowing a fact and not expressing it or twisting the truth." Rabiei said all details provided by officials prior to Saturday's admission had been based on the information available to them at the time.
"All of those who expressed opinions on those days, at the peak of America's psychological war against the Iranian nation... did so based on existing information at the time."
President Hassan Rouhani promised a "thorough investigation" into the air disaster in a telephone call with Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven on Sunday night, his office said.
The majority of the people on Flight PS752 were Iranians and Canadians, including dual nationals, and other victims were Ukrainians, Afghans and Britons.
There were seven Swedish citizens as well as 10 people who reside in the EU member country.
"We must strive to ensure that such a shocking incident is not repeated anywhere in the world," Rouhani said, quoted in a statement published on his government's website.
Rouhani noted that the disaster occurred at a time of heightened tensions in the region after a US drone strike killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3.
"We must all join hands to bring security back to the region and allow peace to prevail," the Iranian president said. Iran has invited experts from Canada, France, Ukraine and the United States to take part in the investigation into the air disaster.
Despite footage from the site of disaster appearing to show bulldozers clearing the area, the Revolutionary Guards' top commander denied any evidence had been tampered with.
"We didn't touch anything," Major General Hossein Salami told parliament on Sunday.
"We didn't move the wreckage of the aircraft, we didn't change the scene, we didn't move the air defence system, and we didn't (alter) the radar readings," he said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
