Kalam frisking: Delhi Police in a fix over FIR

Delhi Police seems to be in a state of confusion on lodging a case against officials of Continental Airlines for frisking former president A P J Abdul Kalam though government said an FIR has already been registered.

A senior police official said a case is yet to be registered in connection with the three-month-old incident, which created uproar in the country, with political leaders raising the issue in Parliament.

However, the Civil Aviation Ministry had said in a statement on July 21 that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) had registered an FIR on the matter with the Station House Officer of IGI Airport Police Station.

Non registration of the case seems to be due to the fact that the BCAS circular relating to protocol on VVIPS and VIPs was not covered by the Aircraft Act under which an FIR can be filed in this case. Officials said they are now exploring ways to tackle the issue.

In its complaint, the BCAS has said that an enquiry found that the staff had wrongfully carried out pre-embarkation body check of Kalam under the direction of airlines' Security-in-charge, Country Director and Station Manager.

The BCAS also said the body check was in gross violation of a BCAS circular which exempts specified VVIPS and VIPs from pre-embarkation checks.

"The BCAS has registered an FIR with the SHO, IGI Airport Police Station, against all the concerned staff of the Continental Airlines under Section 11A of Aircraft Act, 1934 for willful violation of the directions issued by BCAS," the statement had said.