CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke, 2 others detained on Air India plane: What we know of aviation and security rules
Police Detain CJP Leaders After Landing in Delhi
Bharatmorning.com – Three leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), including founder Abhijeet Dipke, were detained by Delhi Police officers after their Air India flight from Mumbai arrived in Delhi on Saturday morning. The intervention took place inside the aircraft, shortly before the group was expected to join a planned demonstration at Jantar Mantar.
Dipke, along with CJP co-convenors Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, had travelled to the capital to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Their proposed protest called for his resignation over allegations concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The detentions have drawn attention to the chain of authority governing access to aircraft after landing, particularly the respective roles of an airline, airport security agencies, police and the aviation regulator.
What happened after the flight landed
The Mumbai-Delhi flight landed at 10.18am. It was subsequently positioned at remote bay R12 after the airport’s Airside Operations Control Centre asked air traffic control to assign the aircraft there. The change of bay was made late, while Delhi Police and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were already present at the location.
Police officers, including women personnel, approached the three CJP leaders in seats 7A, 7B and 7C. A woman sub-inspector informed Dipke that permission for the planned protest had not been granted.
“We are here to be arrested, come and arrest us,”
Dipke said in a video circulated by the CJP. The party described the operation as a “pre-planned interception” and argued that the leaders could have been detained after leaving the aircraft rather than while seated on board.
The three were removed before other passengers disembarked and escorted from the airport through cargo gate number 6. Airport officials said this arrangement was intended to protect the leaders and avoid disruption for other passengers.
Who controls access to an aircraft?
India’s Aircraft (Security) Rules, 2023 set out the broad framework for aviation security. The rules were notified by the civil aviation ministry on August 9, 2023 under the Aircraft Act, 1934, and continue under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) serves as the national civil aviation security regulator. Its director general has regulatory and supervisory responsibilities and can coordinate among government departments, airports and airlines on aviation-security matters.
At Delhi airport, operational security on the ground is handled by the CISF. The chief aerodrome security officer is responsible for restricted-area access, the movement of people and vehicles within security-sensitive zones, and coordination with local police and intelligence bodies.
Airports and airlines also work under security programmes that require approval from the BCAS director general. This layered system means access to an aircraft is not simply a matter for one agency; airport security, airline procedures and regulatory powers may all be relevant.
Airport entry and police access
Rule 22 restricts entry to an aerodrome. A person generally must be a genuine passenger, hold a valid entry permit or visitor admission ticket, or possess written authorisation from the BCAS director general or the central government.
The rules make a specific exception for police officers on duty in relation to the prohibition on carrying weapons into an aerodrome or an aircraft. In this case, police personnel were issued special passes permitting entry to airport premises.
A remote bay is a parking position away from the main terminal gates, often requiring passengers to use buses or other airside transport. Because it is within a restricted operational area, movement there remains subject to airport-security controls.
The airline’s role after a flight arrives
Rule 36 places aircraft access under the operator’s control. It requires the airline to regulate access and maintain surveillance beginning with the security search or check and continuing until departure. The wording is principally directed at safeguarding an aircraft through its pre-departure security cycle.
The provision does not set out a detailed, standalone process for police boarding an aircraft once a completed flight has parked. That gap is central to the questions raised by the Delhi incident: the rules establish access-control responsibilities, but they do not spell out every possible circumstance involving law-enforcement action at the end of a journey.
The pilot-in-command has a defined responsibility regarding cockpit access. Airlines must assign control over entry to the cockpit to the pilot-in-command. The pilot’s authority also features prominently in Rule 8, which concerns the removal of a person from an aircraft.
Under that rule, the CISF chief aerodrome security officer, or an authorised Aviation Security Group officer, may assist in disembarking a person only after receiving a written request from the pilot-in-command. The stated basis is a safety or security risk involving the aircraft, passengers or crew.
BCAS can issue separate security directions
A 2024 amendment added another potential mechanism. Rule 29A permits the BCAS director general to issue written instructions, in the interest of security, requiring an individual or a group to leave an aircraft.
This authority is distinct from the Rule 8 process involving a pilot’s written request. It gives the regulator a separate route to direct the removal of people where security considerations are involved.
The detention of Dipke, Das and Ranka therefore sits at the intersection of policing, airport access and aviation-security procedures. The airport’s restricted nature means officers require authorised entry, while access to an aircraft itself remains tied to airline control and the wider security framework. The rules identify several responsible authorities, but their application can depend on the circumstances, including whether the action is framed as a safety issue, a regulatory security direction or a law-enforcement operation after arrival.
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