A small aircraft carrying BJP president Rajnath Singh took off from an unlit airstrip in Dumka, Jharkhand, guided only by the headlights of a dozen parked vehicles, after nightfall last evening.

Taking note of the gross violation of air safety norms by the aircraft, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday ordered a probe by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

It was not immediately clear under what circumstances the pilot, a foreigner, risked her and her passengers lives to operate the aircraft in pitch darkness.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters in Delhi, “It is premature to say who is responsible till the inquiry is over. But I would appeal to VIPs not to pressure pilots.”

TV reports quoted BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad as saying the decision to fly was entirely the pilot’s; “at no point did Rajnath Singh force the pilot to fly”.

Dumka, a town 300 km to the north-east of Ranchi in the heart of Maoist territory, has no air traffic control. There are no night landing facilities at the tiny airstrip.

The chartered Cessna CitationJet 525 took off at 5.40 pm with Rajnath and three top Jharkhand BJP leaders — state unit president Raghuwar Das, former chief minister Arjun Munda and Godda MP Nishikant Dubey — on board. Twelve SUVs — Boleros and Scorpios — lined up along the airstrip, their headlights on the path of the aircraft.

The aircraft, owned by charter firm Orbit Aviation, had been hired by Dubey for Rajnath to speak at a rally in Poraiyahat in his constituency, about 55 km from Dumka.

... contd.