Air India Deplanes Passenger At Bengaluru Airport Amid High Alert After Operation Sindoor
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The passenger on Air India flight AI-2820 to Delhi was deboarded at Bengaluru airport on May 7 before its 6:05 pm departure due to undisclosed security concerns
A passenger was deboarded from an Air India flight at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on Wednesday evening, just minutes before take-off, amid heightened security across the country after India conducted air strikes under Operation Sindoor targeting major terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The incident occurred on flight AI-2820, bound for New Delhi, which was scheduled to depart at 6:05 pm on Wednesday, May 7. Sources at the airport told PTI that the passenger was removed from the aircraft due to undisclosed security concerns. Authorities have not released the passenger's identity, nor have they elaborated on the nature of the threat.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed the deboarding but offered no further insight. 'We are aware of the incident but will not share any details. There must have been a reason for deboarding the passenger. It's not something done routinely. There were specific concerns which we are not in a position to disclose," the official told PTI.
The move came as security measures were visibly ramped up at KIA and other airports nationwide in the wake of India's recent military offensive, codenamed Operation Sindoor, launched early on Wednesday morning. The operation targeted multiple terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including those linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
According to military sources, nine locations were struck, including LeT's Markaz Taiba in Muridke, JeM's Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur, and Hizbul's Mahmoona Zoya facility in Sialkot. In Muzaffarabad, Lashkar's camp in Shawai Nala and its base at Markaz Ahle Hadith in Barnala were also hit.
The strikes under Operation Sindoor were a part of India's retaliatory action for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, where 26 tourists were killed. The Ministry of Defence said the operation was meticulously planned and targeted 'high-value" terrorist infrastructure.
Markaz Taiba in Muridke is notably the headquarters of LeT, the group led by Hafiz Saeed. The same facility was linked to the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone attacker captured alive in that attack, had confessed to undergoing training at Muridke.
With tensions at a high following the strikes and the Pahalgam massacre, airports have been placed on high alert. While the specific threat on board AI-2820 remains unknown, officials are treating every security trigger with extreme caution.
First Published:
May 08, 2025, 12:57 IST
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