Centre Lambasts Social Media Platform X Over 90 Flight Bomb Threats In A Week

Flight Bomb Threats: Following the series of bomb threats received by airlines over the past few days, the Union Ministry of Electronics and IT on Wednesday slammed social media platform X, through which many of these hoaxes were circulated. Joint Secretary Sanket S. Bhondve held a meeting virtually with representatives of airlines and social media platforms such as X and Meta.

According to media reports, the official said that the situation amounts to "X abetting crime." The official also raised questions to its representatives on the steps taken to stop such alarming rumours from spreading, sources have said. More than 90 domestic and international flights have received bomb threats over the past eight days.

The affected flights include services from Akasa, Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara, operating from Delhi to various domestic and international destinations, they said, adding the investigation is underway.

On Monday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu briefed on the situation and said the Central government is trying to tackle it without compromising passengers' safety. He further stated that those circulating such hoax threats will face tough action, including being put on a no-fly list.

The Centre is planning to amend the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act so that action could be initiated for offences when an aircraft is on the ground. Currently, the aviation security norms largely cover in-flight offences.

"We are trying to make amendments, and the legal team has worked on it... We need consultations with other ministries also... we are definitively pushing forward to have changes in the Act also so that it addresses offences that happen when the flight is on the ground and also makes it a cognizable offence," he stated, as quoted by NDTV. On the query pertaining to the possibility of any conspiracy behind the threats, the minister said a thorough investigation was underway into the matter.

"Without investigation, we cannot put out any pattern... let us wait for the completion of the investigation," he further stated. Several flights, including international ones, have been diverted after the threats. 

"We are keeping ourselves dynamic and not rigid... assessing and learning from what is happening. Everything is taken on a case-by-case basis. Based on our learning, we are trying to assess the situation," the minister said, as quoted by NDTV.

"We are continuously talking to law enforcement agencies. We are pushing to speed up the process. While we are trying to efficiently tackle the situation, we are not compromising on safety and security," Naidu further stated. He emphasized that even though these were hoax threats, they have to be taken seriously. Security has been enhanced at airports, and there is more checking at checkpoints.