CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on June 16, 2025

WITH regard to the tragic crash of Air India 171 in Ahmedabad, as per international protocols and norms set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has commenced its independent investigation into the causes and circumstances surrounding the crash. In pursuit of this task, AAIB will take possession of the “black boxes” of the aircraft and all other evidence, and complete its investigations in cooperation with concerned international bodies, aircraft and engine manufacturers and other stakeholders.

In a surprise development, the Government of India has set up a “High Level Committee” (HLC) chaired by the home secretary with many of the same goals, such as to determine the “root cause” of the accident with access to the “black boxes” and interact with international bodies, along with several other objectives. Having a parallel high-powered government air crash investigation committee filled with bureaucrats will undermine the AAIB’s investigation and raise doubts about possible government interference, contradicting the very purpose for which the AAIB was constituted under ICAO Annex 13.

The CPI(M) demands that the terms of reference of the HLC be immediately revised to remove all overlaps with the AAIB investigation, particularly regarding the cause and circumstances of the AI-171 crash. The investigation of the accident is better left to qualified professionals and experts. The HLC should instead examine the Ahmedabad and other earlier crash investigation reports to formulate binding rules and mechanisms for strict implementation to prevent settlements and buildings coming up within the prescribed distance and safety zones in the proximity of airports. In Ahmedabad, but for chance many more casualties could have occurred on the ground, with large medical facilities located very nearby. Firm steps are required to prevent such occurrence in future.