Centre Mulling On Putting Hoax Callers On 'No-Fly List' As False Bomb Threat Cripples Indian Aviation

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announced on Monday that the government is planning to amend legislation to address the increasing number of bomb threats targeting airlines.

This includes placing individuals responsible for such threats on a no-fly list.

Over the past week, almost 100 flights operated by Indian airlines have received bomb threats, the majority of which turned out to be hoaxes.

Naidu stated that the government is considering changes to aviation security regulations and the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982, to bolster security measures.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is collaborating closely with the Ministry of Home Affairs on the issue.

From the Ministry, we have considered some legislative action if necessary.

We have concluded that there are two areas we can explore - 1) Amendment to Aircraft Security Rules.

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one of the ideas we wish to implement through these rule changes is that once we apprehend the perpetrator behind these threats, we aim to place them on the no-fly list.

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2) Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act.

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Naidu explained.

Bomb threats cripples Indian aviationOn Sunday alone, more than 20 flights from IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Vistara were disrupted by bomb threats.

This led to a meeting between BCAS officials and airline CEOs, as the threats continue to cause alarm and necessitate extensive security checks.

Additionally, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Director General RS Bhatti and BCAS Director General Zulfiquar Hasan met with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Monday to discuss the recent surge in hoax calls.

During the half-hour meeting at the Home Ministry, both director generals briefed the home secretary on the recent wave of hoax bomb threats, which have caused widespread panic and prompted exhaustive security measures by Indian aviation authorities, intelligence agencies, and other departments.

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