The ministry is looking at amending existing rules, including those related to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), in order to ensure stringent punishments are in place for the culprits, the official said.Placing individuals making hoax bomb threats in the airlines’ no-fly list is one of the proposals being looked at, the official added.The official also said legal opinions are being sought with respect to making the changes in the rules.The provisions being followed in foreign countries to deal with hoax bomb threats are also being examined by the ministry.Further, the official said that if necessary, legislative amendments will be explored for having a strong deterrent to prevent people from making hoax bomb threats to airlines.Currently, there are strict norms against unruly passenger behaviour onboard flights but there are no specific provisions under the aviation regulations to deal with instances where a bomb threat has come from outside sources such as social media.At present, the actions against hoax bomb threat incidents are taken by the police under criminal laws.The official also said that discussions are going on with home and law ministries while inputs are being gathered from airlines.”We want rules that can act as a deterrent,” the official said.On Wednesday, Naidu said law enforcement agencies are actively pursuing all cases of bomb threats against airlines and the government is closely monitoring the situation.He had also condemned any attempt to compromise the safety, security and operational integrity of the aviation sector.
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