Aviation minister denies ‘manipulation’ in Air India Ahmedabad crash probe, assures transparent probe
'There is no manipulation or dirty business happening in the investigation. It’s a clean and thorough process being conducted according to the rules,' says minister
PTC Web Desk: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Tuesday firmly rejected allegations of irregularities in the probe into the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives. The minister assured that the investigation, led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), is being carried out with full transparency and adherence to aviation protocols.
“There is no manipulation or dirty business happening in the investigation. It’s a clean and thorough process being conducted according to the rules,” Kinjarapu told mediapersons, emphasising that the government is not interfering with the inquiry.
His remarks came amid growing concerns following claims made by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, the 91-year-old father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots of Air India Flight AI171 that went down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
In an email to the Federation of Indian Pilots, Pushkar Raj alleged that AAIB officials visited his home on August 30 “under the pretext of offering condolences” but instead hinted that his son had deliberately cut fuel to the engines. He accused investigators of going beyond their mandate and spreading insinuations based on a “selective” interpretation of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and a “layered voice analysis.”
In a previous communication to the Civil Aviation Ministry, Sabharwal senior had also sought a parallel investigation, expressing concern over selective leaks of probe findings that, he said, unfairly cast doubts on his son’s actions.
Responding to these allegations, minister Kinjarapu reiterated that the final report will take time as the AAIB continues its “independent and detailed” assessment. “We do not want to pressure them into issuing a hasty report. The process will take its due course,” he added.
The Gatwick-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Air India Flight AI171, crashed into a building of a medical college in Meghaninagar, Ahmedabad, within minutes of take-off. The crash killed 241 of the 242 persons onboard and 19 others on the ground, taking the total death toll to 260.