How Delhi, Punjab airports have increased security after Gurpatwant Pannun's Air India bombing threat

Passengers travelling on Air India flight from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and Punjab will be subjected to additional checks.The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has ordered extra security checks after a threat was issued by outlawed separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun recently warned Sikhs not to fly Air India (AI) after 19 November.As a result of this threat, the BCAS has also banned the entry of the visitors at the Delhi and Punjab airports.But what do we know about Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's threat? Why are they targeting Delhi and Punjab airports? And what additional security measures are put in place to beef up?Let’s take a closer look.The warningGurpatwant Singh Pannun, who has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2020, threatened to take over Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in a video message posted last week on microblogging site X.In the video, Pannun issued a warning to the members of the Sikh community against taking Air India flights on or after 19 November. He said that their life could be in danger.He also demanded to rename the IGI airport after Beant Singh and Satwant Singh — the assassins of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.According to a report in The Print, threats by Pannun serve as a reminder of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 by Canada-based Sikh separatists in 1985.The date 19 November 2023 also marks the 106th birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.Secondary ladder point checkWhile Pannun lacks the potential or assets to carry out the threat, his statements have been regarded with "utmost seriousness" and all stakeholders involved in security procedures at the IGI airport have been made aware of it, a CISF source told The Print.According to an order issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on Monday, all Air India passengers at Delhi and Punjab airports will be put to a "secondary ladder point check," in which airline staff will frisk passengers and their hand luggage after receiving security clearance from the CISF and just before boarding the aircraft.The entry of visitors to the Indira Gandhi International Airport terminal building and the selling of visitor entry tickets will also be restricted.[caption id="attachment_13362112" align="alignnone" width="640"]

The BCAS has also banned the entry of the visitors at the Delhi and Punjab airports. File image/PTI[/caption]In addition, a previously issued security alert for all civil aviation sites issued on 13 October for the holiday season has been extended until 30 November. These include airports, airstrips, airfields, air force stations, helipads, flying schools, and aviation training institutesThe security alerts A senior officer informed that a high level of alert has been sounded in view of inputs received from intelligence agencies to step up security at airports.When asked about any special security preparation in place regarding the threat issued by a member of the separatist group, the officer said that in airport security they act in a similar way to all kinds of threat calls."Irrespective of the profile of the caller, we react to all threat calls related to airport security as per standard operating procedure. Although most of such calls are hoaxes, but we respond," the officer said.Another CISF official familiar with the proceedings, told The Print, Pannun engages in theatrics to stay in the spotlight, and his threat is not the only reason the force should be on high alert.Amid the war between Israel and Hamas, the officer highlighted that there had intelligence concerning security emergencies at airports, and the force was already being extra careful and alert, and will stay so in the aftermath of Pannun's warning.Pannun and his threats Pannun has dual citizenship (Canada and the United States) and is well-known for utilising social media to threaten India and deliver controversial statements.An investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) revealed that Pannun's SFJ has been exploiting cyberspace to radicalise young Indians, inciting them to commit terrorist acts, reports The Print.Pannun was designated a "proclaimed offender" in November of last year.The NIA had previously seized his properties in Amritsar and Chandigarh in September.According to media reports, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa is seeking increased security for Air India flights that originate and terminate in Canada.With inputs from ANI