New Delhi/Mumbai, Jul 14 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Monday wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, demanding a probe into how “sensitive findings” of a report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad were allegedly leaked to international media before an official disclosure in India.
Sharing a copy of the letter on X, Chaturvedi said one can't be "a mute spectator" to the narrative around the AI171 crash and its interim report.
In a letter to Naidu, she said a formal inquiry should be conducted into the "leak".
There was no official comment from the Civil Aviation Ministry on the issue raised.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday released its preliminary report on the crash of Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that killed 260 people, including 241 people onboard. The aircraft, which was operating the flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed into a building soon after takeoff.
In the letter, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader expressed “serious concerns” regarding the manner in which the recent interim investigation report by the AAIB was handled and disseminated, particularly in light of media reports surfacing in international publications before the report was officially made public in India.
"It is deeply troubling that sensitive details of the AAIB report were available to foreign news agencies and published in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal before any official release in India.
"This raises urgent questions about how the contents of the report were accessed by foreign entities prior to their dissemination to the Indian public and concerned stakeholders. Such a breach not only undermines the credibility of our aviation safety institutions but also reflects a serious lapse in information security and protocol,” she said.
Insinuations made against the deceased pilots "through implication and selective leaks" of the interim report, as well as through the international media's narrative, are absolutely reprehensible, the Rajya Sabha MP said.
"Such motivated speculation via broadcast, print and digital platforms shows a more sinister attempt to malign our pilots who aren't alive to put their case. Even pilot associations have raised their objections,” she said.
Chaturvedi said she is writing on the matter given its serious implications for public safety, pilot morale, and India's global aviation standing.
She also demanded that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting issue clear media guidelines on how interim reports from regulatory and investigative bodies such as AAIB should be reported upon.
Alleging that the report was "quietly released", she said a lack of transparency in such a critical matter gives rise to legitimate concerns about whose interests are being served and whether due process has been followed.