Tejasvi Surya had accidentally opened emergency door of IndiGo plane in Dec: V K Singh
New Delhi, Feb 9: BJP member Tejasvi Surya had accidentally opened the emergency door of an IndiGo aircraft last month and the airline did not find the passenger in violation of any rule, according to the civil aviation ministry.
Surya, the ruling BJP's Bengaluru South MP, has been facing flak from Congress over the incident, which happened on December 10 last year at Chennai airport.
To a question on whether the government through aviation regulator DGCA has identified the passenger who illegally opened the emergency door of a flight at Chennai, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh replied in the affirmative.
"As per the report submitted by InterGlobe Aviation Limited, the name of the passenger alleged in the incident is Shri Tejasvi Surya who had boarded flight 6E-7339 (Chennai to Tiruchirappalli) at Chennai Airport on December 10, 2022.
"The emergency door opened accidently as clarified by InterGlobe Aviation Limited. This was not a deliberate action and as per InterGlobe Aviation, they did not find the passenger to be in violation of any rule," Singh said in a written reply.
On whether the DGCA has taken any action, the minister said as per the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) regarding 'Notification of incidents and investigation thereof", the occurrence did not come under the category of 'reportable occurrence'.
"The matter was investigated by the concerned airline. The occurrence took place while the aircraft was on ground and the flight departed only after completing all the safety checks/ protocols," the minister said.
On January 18, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said Surya himself reported the incident where he accidentally opened the emergency exit of the IndiGo plane and apologised for it.
In another written reply on Thursday, Singh said as per maintenance procedures prescribed by the manufacturer, the emergency exit door is required to be installed back and pressurisation check carried out before the aircraft is released for flight.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
