Centre orders probe into Kingfisher bomb scare

The Centre has ordered a probe into how a crude bomb found its way into the cargo hold of a Kingfisher flight in a "major breach of security", Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said on Tuesday.

"The bomb scare has been taken very seriously and investigations have been ordered. They are being conducted by various agencies," he told reporters in reply to questions.

"We do consider this as a major breach of security and every possible action to unearth the cause will be undertaken," he said.
Investigations are being carried out into all aspects of the case like how and where the crude bomb got into the aircraft's cargo hold, where was it contrived and from where  the material used in it was purchased, sources said.

They said the probability of the bomb not passing through the normal security checking channels was also being looked into.

Asked about airports being put on high alert, Patel said "airports are usually and always on a state of high alert. In view of this incident, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has further heightened the status of the alert but that does not mean in any way that security then or now or in future will ever be compromised."

To questions on full body scanners, the Minister said these would be introduced in a phased manner.

"The trials will begin from the IGI Airport in the new terminal building starting July," he said. Patel had earlier announced that the plush new integrated terminal -- T3 -- would be inaugurated on July 3.

On concerns relating to intrusion of privacy, he said the introduction of these scanners would be "on a very conservative basis. We have to make sure there is no violation of anyone's privacy."

However, it was imperative that in view of the threats India was facing, "we should be extra-cautious", he said.

The regional offices of BCAS have put the Bangalore and Thiruvananthapuram airports on high alert and asked them to take additional security measures. Special instructions have also been given to airlines on cargo and baggage handling at these airports.

The crude explosive was found on Sunday at Thiruvanathapuram airport from the cargo section of plane when it arrived from Bangalore with 31 people on board.

Though the explosive was not of high density it could have exploded during flight due to air pressure, Kerala police said.

According to a first information report (FIR), based on forensic analysis of the material, the material was a mixture of potassium chlorate, ammonia and sulphur.