Amid a barrage of bomb threats received by airlines over the past few days, the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT today blasted social media platform X (formerly Twitter) through which many of these hoaxes were circulated.
Joint Secretary Sanket S Bhondve chaired a virtual meeting with representatives of airlines and social media platforms such as X and Meta. The official said that the situation amounts to "X abetting crime" and questioned its representatives on the steps taken to stop such alarming rumours from spreading, sources have said.
More than 120 flights operated by Indian carriers have received bomb threats over the past few days. Even yesterday, 30 flights operated by IndiGo, Vistara and Air India received such threats. The airlines said they followed standard operating procedures: authorities were alerted and security protocols were followed.
During a briefing on the situation on Monday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the government is trying to tackle it without compromising passengers' safety. He added that those circulating such hoax threats will face tough action, including being put on a no-fly list.
The government plans to amend the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act so that action could be initiated for offences when an aircraft is on the ground. Currently, the aviation security norms largely cover in-flight offences.
"We are trying to make amendments and the legal team has worked on it... We need consultations with other ministries also... we are definitively pushing forward to have changes in the Act also so that it addresses offences that happen when the flight is on the ground and also make it cognizable offence," he said.
Asked if there could be a conspiracy behind the barrage of threats, the minister said a thorough investigation was underway.
"Without investigation, we cannot put out any pattern... let us wait for the completion of the investigation," he added.
The threats have created panic among the passengers and set off alarm bells for security agencies. Several flights, including international ones, have been diverted after the threats.
"We are keeping ourselves dynamic and not rigid... assessing and learning from what is happening. Everything is taken on a case-by-case basis. Based on our learning, we are trying to assess the situation," the minister said.
"We are continuously talking to law enforcement agencies. We are pushing to speed up the process. While we are trying to efficiently tackle the situation, we are not compromising on the safety and security," Mr Naidu added.
He stressed that even though these were hoax threats, they have to be taken seriously. Security has been enhanced at airports and there is more checking at checkpoints. "We have increased (the number of) CCTV cameras so that airports get monitored more thoroughly."
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