FIR against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari for 'forcing flight take-off' at Jharkhand airport

An FIR has been registered against Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha MPs Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari and seven others for allegedly forcing Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials at Jharkhand's Deoghar airport to give clearance to their chartered flight for take-off at night On August 31, as per an India Today report.

Among those charged also includes two sons of Dubey.

The case was lodged on September 1 based on a complaint filed by airport security in-charge Suman Anand who accused the leaders of 'violating safety standards'.

The newly inaugurated airport doesn't have a ‘night take-off or landing facility’ yet. Flights currently operate only till 30 minutes before sunset.

In his statement, the complainant said that the local time of sunset on the day of the incident was 6:03 pm and air services were to be conducted up to 5:30 pm. But the chartered flight with the BJP leaders on board took off at 6:17 pm.

Also read: Jharkhand police arrests BJP's Seema Patra for allegedly torturing tribal help

All nine persons, including both the MPs and the airport director, have been booked under IPC sections 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 447 (punishment for criminal trespass), 448 (punishment for house-trespass), Kunda police station in-charge Praveen Kumar was quoted as saying by the news agency.

As per the FIR accessed by The Indian Express, on August 31, Lok Sabha MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey, his son Kanishk Kant Dubey, Mahikant Dubey, MP Manoj Tiwari, Mukesh Pathak, Devta Pandey, and Pintu Tiwari entered the high-security ATC room without permission and used their influence to pressure officials to give clearance to their chartered flight.

On September 2, Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri also wrote a letter to the Principal Secretary, Cabinet-Coordination (Civil Aviation), Jharkhand demanding an inquiry into the issue.

Reacting to the FIR against him, Nishikant Dubey told India Today, "The airport authority did not object. We took permission from the director of the airport I am ready to fight the case, we will put forward our side of the events.”

On Friday, Dubey got into a Twitter fight with Bhajantri, who said the BJP leader bypassed safety regulations and forcibly got clearance for his flight.

Dubey hit back, tweeting, "I’d suggest you to study aviation rules again. As an IAS officer, the nation expects better from you. Now the matter is under investigation at all possible levels, please comment further only after reading aviation and airport rules carefully henceforth."