The Bureau of
Civil Aviation Security or BCAS has ordered extra security checks for Air India
flights in Punjab and Delhi airports after a threat received from the outlawed
separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).
In an order copy
accessed by ANI, the BCAS has asked for additional security checks for all Air
India flights at airports in Punjab and the national capital.
“A 100 per cent
SLPC (Secondary Ladder Point Check) for all Air India flights at IGI Airport
and airports in Punjab, issue of Temporary Airport Entry Pass (TAEP), entry of
visitors to the terminal building of the IGI (Indira Gandhi International)
airport (in Delhi) and sale of visitors’ entry tickets will be banned,” the
circular read.
The order has been
issued on Monday and it has been implemented immediately. The following
security measures will be in place till November 30.
Recently, the
designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs
for Justice (SFJ), released a new video asking Sikhs not to fly in Air India
aircraft after November 19, as their lives can be under threat.
He claimed that
Air India would not be allowed to operate on November 19.
The order further
reads that in view of the continuous threat messages being shared by Central
security agencies regarding threat to Civil Aviation installations all over
India like airports, airstrips, airfields, air force stations, helipads, flying
schools, aviation training institutes, it has been decided by the competent
authority to extend the restrictions imposed by the Alert issued by BCAS.
A senior officer
informed that a high level of alert has been sounded in view of inputs received
from intelligence agencies to step up security at airports.
When asked about
any special security preparation in place regarding the threat issued by a
member of the separatist group, the officer said that in airport security they
act in a similar way to all kinds of threat calls.
“Irrespective of
the profile of the caller, we react to all threat calls related to airport
security as per standard operating procedure. Although most of such calls are
hoaxes, but we respond,” the officer said.
Secondary Ladder
Point Checking is a secondary-level security procedure mandated by the Bureau
of Civil Aviation Security under which the airline staff have to frisk
passengers and their hand luggage after the security clearance from the CISF,
just before boarding the aircraft.
ANI
