New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Saturday contradicted Air India's denial that no lethal object was found in its aircraft which was to operate from Jeddah to Mumbai.
The minister said that a stun grenade was found in the aircraft and might have been left there after a security drill that was carried out in the aircraft before it was pressed into duty.
"It was a stun grenade that was left in the aircraft after a security drill. It is a failure that it was not spotted. An investigation has been ordered. We are going to investigate the failure and even the authorities at Jeddah airport are going to do the same," Gajapathi Raju said.
IANS was the first newswire to have broken the story about the lethal object found on the aircraft.
The minister's statement assumes significance as Air India on its part denied finding any lethal object inside the aircraft.
Air India said that the alleged 'explosive' that was found early Saturday morning was a plastic wrapper. The incident occurred on-board a stand-by VVIP aircraft that had later been pressed into commercial service.
"After a thorough screening of the aircraft, the object "was found to be a plastic wrapper", a official said.
The Jeddah Airport security cleared the Boeing B-747 aircraft - AI 965 - for further operations later Saturday morning.
The Indian security apparatus went into a tizzy early Saturday after the suspicious object, initially presumed to be an explosive, was found by the cabin crew on the Mumbai-Hyderabad-Jeddah flight at its termination point.
"We have already formed a committee to look into the matter of how such an object, though harmless in nature, come on board. The aircraft was secured and cleared by the airport authorities in Jeddah," a senior Air India official told IANS in New Delhi.
The committee includes the AI Joint Managing Director and the Commissioner of Civil Aviation Security.
"At no point of time was the safety of the passengers on the aircraft compromised," AI said in a statement.
The aircraft was on stand-by for use by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in case his regular aircraft developed any last-minute snags during his US visit.
It was kept in complete readiness at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, and released Friday for commercial operations after Modi's return to India.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam that every capable Muslim must perform at least once, begins with over pilgrims praying Arafat plain on Youm-ul-Arafa
Hundreds of .... More
Also Read: The Holy Kaaba adorned with new cover
In a spirited speech near the India Gate monument a short while later, Modi told a huge gathering that Indians had a responsibility to fulfill Gandhi's dream by ridding the country of dirt and filth by 2019, the 150th.... More
Also Read: 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' launched at AMU, MANU
India imports two-thirds of its electronics, mostly from China. So does much of the world, including the US. The most American of products, from the world's most valuable company, Apple, is famously designed in California, made in China..... More
The US based Sikh Foundation for Justice (SFJ) in coordination with the American Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (AGPC), Tuesday held a Citizens' Court in Lafayette Park, a small park infront of the White House to indict PM Narendra Modi for the human rights violations in 2002 in Gujarat.. .... More
Also Read: Americans join as Kashmiris, Sikhs hold protest against Modi