BIA flies into a 'hyper-sensitive' zone

BIA flies into a 'hyper-sensitive' zone
By S Praveen Dhaneshkar, DH News Service, Bangalore:
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MoH) have classified the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) as a hyper-sensitive airport, in the wake of instances of huge haul of narcotics and banned substances and detection of fake passports at the new aerodrome.


Highly-placed official sources told Deccan Herald the move had to be taken in view of the likelihood of drug cartels using the new airport as a transit point.

“This move will bring BIA on par with the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi and Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). The classification entails augmented vigilance by intelligence agencies and CISF (Central Industrial Security Force),” the sources said. According to officials, the home ministry decided to act tough as the City was allegedly being considered a safe haven by anti-national elements and terrorists.

“The recent arrest of members of the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak proves that many people including activists of banned militant groups from the North-East arrive in the City, get enrolled in colleges and mingle with locals but continue to work for such groups.

Bangalore has in the past been seen as a safe haven for members of militant organisations. In view of this, the intelligence agencies decided to tighten their grip over BIA so that arrivals can be closely monitored,” explained the sources.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, which assesses whether an airport should be classified as sensitive or hyper-sensitive based on parameters such as location and incidents of people arriving and taking refuge in the state where the airport is located, submits its report to the MoH and IB, which take the final decision.

A hyper-sensitive aerodrome will have additional personnel/ manpower, special CISF QRTs (Quick Response Teams) armed with AK-47s, “refusal rooms” to detain suspected anti-nationals and other equipment with stored database that tracks every single person arriving at or departing from the airport.