Hoax calls to be made cognisable offence, situation sensitive: Aviation Minister

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Monday said that making hoax bomb threat calls to airlines will be made a cognisable offence, as multiple carriers in the past few days have received several such calls, significantly disrupting flight operations across the country.
Calling it a sensitive situation, the minister, at a press conference, also said that those who make such hoax calls will be placed on the no-fly list of airlines.
“We have conducted multiple meetings on this issue and concluded that amendments to the rules and regulations are necessary. These changes will strengthen the cause we are currently fighting for. Once the perpetrators are apprehended, they will be placed on the no-fly list,” the minister said.
Naidu said the Aviation Ministry is in contact with other ministries to strengthen the existing laws.
“We have the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation Act, and we are working on amending this act. We are also consulting with other ministries to ensure it becomes a cognisable offence,” he stated. He also sought changes to Aircraft Security Rules.
“One of the ideas that we want to propagate by changing these rules is that once we catch hold of the perpetrator who is behind this,” Minister Naidu said, adding,”We are trying to assess the situation. It is a very sensitive situation”.

Over 75 airlines received threat messages, either written in lavatories or through social media, in the past few days. On Saturday alone, more than 30 flights received such messages. The carriers include Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, Vistara, SpiceJet, Star Air and Alliance Air.
Police have found some common lines and words used in these fake threats, like “bombs”, “blood will spread everywhere”, “explosive devices”, “this is not a joke” and “you will all die” and “bomb rakhwa dia hai” (Hindi for bomb has been placed) among others. A 17-year-old boy from Chhattisgarh was arrested earlier, and the investigation revealed that he was responsible for some of the calls. However, the origin of the majority of the threats is yet to be traced.
In response to the situation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) held a meeting with CEOs and representatives of airlines in New Delhi on Saturday.