Aviation Ministry issues new mandate for flights amid bomb threats
To tackle the rising number of bomb threats against flights, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued a new mandate. The directive was issued after over 500 bomb threats were reported in 16 days. The order, seen by CNBC TV18, stated that before declaring a threat as specific or non-specific, a multi-layered assessment of threats should be conducted, the seriousness of threats should be determined, and the credibility of the source should be considered.
New factors introduced to assess threat credibility
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has also added new indicative factors in the revised guideline for assessing threat credibility. These include questions about who is the person issuing the threat, their allegiance to any organization or terror group, and their motive. The use of a verified social media account for issuing threats and potential VVIP targets are also taken into consideration under these new guidelines.
Hoax bomb threats suspect identified amid new mandate
On Tuesday, the Special Branch of Nagpur Police identified 35-year-old Jagdish Uikey as a prime suspect behind the threats. Uikey had sent an email to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on October 21 threatening to protest unless he was given the opportunity to discuss what he said was a "secret terror code" that he had deciphered, as well as a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Uikey had previously been arrested in 2021 in a similar case.
Ministry of Electronics issues advisory to social media platforms
In light of the increasing bomb threats, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) had also released an advisory on October 25. The advisory calls on social media platforms to voluntarily take down misinformation pertaining to national security. The ministry cautioned platforms that if they did not comply with the IT Rules, they would lose their safe harbour rights under the IT Act. This provision exempts platforms from liability for third-party content posted on social media platforms.
