Rahul Gandhi's aircraft malfunction, intentional tampering suspected

Bengaluru, April 27: The Congress on Thursday complained to the Karnataka Police that the aircraft in which its party President Rahul Gandhi flew to Hubballi in the state earlier in the day suffered a snag mid-air.

"The aircraft on a special flight (VT-AVH) from New Delhi to Hubballi suffered serious malfunction and tilted heavily to one side during the course of the flight," a party official and Gandhi's aide Kaushal Vidyarthee said in the complaint.

The complaint, addressed to the state's Director General Neelamani N. Raju, requested the state police chief to "ground" the aircraft at Hubballi and investigate its malfunction.

According to the letter, there were a total of three other passengers in the aircraft besides Gandhi and the complainant Vidyarthee -- Rampreet, Rahul Ravi and Special Protection Group officer Rahul Gautam.

Alleging the aircraft's auto-pilot mode was not functional and the aircraft could be landed only after two unsuccessful tries as it was "shaking and making unusual audible sounds", the letter pointed to a possible "intentional tampering" with the aircraft's functioning.