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New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday dismissed allegations of "manipulation" or "dirty business" in the probe into the June 12 Air India crash that killed 260 people, emphasising that the investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was being conducted "thoroughly and transparently".
Speaking in New Delhi at an event, Naidu said, "There is no manipulation or dirty business happening in the investigation. It is a clean and very thorough process done as per the rules." He urged stakeholders to wait for the final report before drawing conclusions, adding that the AAIB's work remains "independent and transparent".
His comments came amid growing criticism from pilot associations and victims' families who have questioned the integrity of the ongoing probe. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) recently demanded a judicial inquiry under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017, citing "unlawful disclosures" and "selective leaks" that, they allege, compromised the investigation's impartiality.
The group accused AAIB officials of attempting to frame a "pilot error" narrative by making speculative remarks to Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, father of Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the two pilots of the ill-fated Air India flight AI171. Sabharwal claimed the bureau's preliminary report and subsequent leaks had tarnished his late son's reputation, according to an Indian Express report.
The AAIB's interim report suggested that both engines lost power moments after take-off when the fuel control switches transitioned from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF', though it did not state who operated them.
