Rahul Gandhi’s office on Thursday filed a complaint with the Karnataka police saying that a New Delhi-Hubli special flight (VT-AVH) that carried the Congress president and four others suffered “unexplained technical failures” midair. The complaint filed by Rahul’s aide Kaushal Vidyarthee states that the matter be investigated as “intentional tampering” could not be ruled out. According to Vidyarthee, the whole experience left passengers with a lot of anxiety and distress and positively fearing for the lives.
The complaint urged the Karnataka police to ground the aircraft and not allow it to fly till the investigation was over. As per a report by The Indian Express, it also sought a thorough examination of the structural and mechanical elements of the aircraft, along with the persons attached to the maintenance of the aircraft.
Chronology of the events as per the complaint:
According to the complaint addressed to Karnataka Director General and Inspector General of Police Neelmani N Raju:
• The flight took off around 9.20 am with Rahul Gandhi, Kaushal Vidyarthee, and an SPG officer on board.
• At around 10:45 am the aircraft suddenly tilted heavily on the left side and the altitude dipped steeply.
• It was combined with violent shuddering of the aircraft body.
• Vidyarthee claimed that the weather outside was sunny, normal and not windy.
• He said that a clanking noise was clearly audible from one side of the plane throughout the shuddering of the aircraft body.
• It was also learnt that the autopilot of the aircraft was not functioning.
• Vidyarthee said the aircraft landed in Hubli on the third attempt at around 11:25 am.
• The plane shook and made unusual audible sounds continuously while landing.
Kaushal Vidyarthee further said in his complaint that the issue in the aircraft was not natural or weather-related, but due to some technical snags. He further said it was apparent from the suspicious and faulty performance of the aircraft that the incidents of shuddering and altitude dipping were not natural. Meanwhile, DCP (Law and Order), Hubli-Dharwad Police, Renuka Sukumar confirmed that an FIR had been filed against the pilots.
