Thrown out in 2015 over derogatory remark row, BJP's Vijender Gupta now Delhi assembly speaker

A month after the tragic Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad that killed over 270 people, a preliminary investigation has revealed a chilling mid-air mystery: the aircraft’s engine fuel switches were inexplicably turned from ‘RUN’ to ‘CUTOFF’ just seconds after takeoff—cutting off fuel to both engines and dooming the flight within moments.

In the final moments captured on the cockpit voice recorder, one of the pilots was heard asking, “Why did you cut off?” to which the other pilot replied, “I didn’t.”

This haunting exchange is now at the centre of India’s worst aviation disaster in decades.

The 15-page report, released Saturday by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), sheds light on a puzzling chain of events aboard the London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12. Data from the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFR) indicates that both engines’ fuel control switches were manually moved to CUTOFF within seconds of each other—an act that immediately terminated fuel supply to the engines.

Startlingly, the switches were then flipped back to RUN, suggesting the pilots tried desperately to recover the aircraft—but it was too late. The voice recorder went silent seconds later. The aircraft was airborne for just 32 seconds.

Shortly after, a panicked MAYDAY call was transmitted by one of the pilots. Air Traffic Control responded, asking for the call sign—but received no answer. Moments later, the aircraft nosedived and exploded outside the airport boundary, crashing into a hostel for medical students. Only one person aboard survived. Nearly 30 people on the ground were also killed.

The report confirms that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a highly experienced Line Training Captain with over 8,200 flying hours, was at the controls. He was assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours. Both were certified fit and well-rested.

Investigators found no signs of sabotage but highlighted a known FAA advisory about a potential flaw in fuel control switch installations. A past bulletin warned that switches on some Boeing aircraft may be installed with a disabled locking mechanism—though it was not deemed an "unsafe condition" at the time.

The Ram Air Turbine (RAT), a backup system used in case of dual engine failure, deployed immediately after takeoff, as seen on CCTV footage—confirming total power loss. No bird strike or foreign object interference was observed.

In a chilling parallel, the report recalls a 1980s Delta Air Lines incident in which a pilot accidentally cut off engine fuel—but managed to restart mid-air due to higher altitude. The Air India crew wasn’t so lucky.

The AAIB is expected to conduct deeper forensic analysis into the fuel switch mechanism and crew inputs. Until then, one question echoes louder than ever: “Why did you cut off?”

Gaza City, July 5: Israeli strikes have killed around 50 Palestinians across Gaza since the early hours of Saturday, with dozens of the fatalities identified as aid seekers, according to reports from the besieged territory’s hospitals.

These attacks have taken place across the Gaza Strip from Gaza City in the north to the area around Rafah in the south.

Medical sources at Nasser Hospital have told the media that nine Palestinians, including three children, have been killed by Israeli forces near an aid center north of Rafah.

A medical source at al-Ahli Hospital says one Palestinian was killed and others injured in an Israeli attack on Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

At least six people were killed and more than 10 injured in an Israeli shelling of displaced tents in the al-Mawasi area west of the city of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Nasser Medical Complex.

Al-Mawasi was designated as a “humanitarian zone” by Israel.

Israeli forces bombarded the al-Shafi School, killing at least five people and injuring others in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

Two people were killed after Israeli military jets targeted a house in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, also in central Gaza, says four people were killed after the Israeli army targeted an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din Street, south of Wadi Gaza.

The Gaza Civil Defense says it rescued 11 injured individuals, including children, after an air strike targeted a house belonging to the al-Zinati family near the Gifted School in Sheikh Radwan, northwest Gaza City.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 57,268 people and wounded 135,625 since the start of the onslaught on October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The United Nations human rights office has said it recorded at least 613 killings of Palestinians, both at controversial aid points run by the Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and near humanitarian convoys, as of June 27.

The OHCHR said 509 of the 613 people were killed near GHF distribution points. The Gaza Health Ministry has put the number of deaths at more than 650 and those wounded as exceeding 4,000.

The GHF began distributing limited food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries that the UN says is neither impartial nor neutral, as killings continue around the organization’s sites, which rights groups have slammed as “human slaughterhouses.”

Bengaluru, July 8: A college student was kidnapped and brutally assaulted by a group of eight to ten attackers for allegedly sending obscene messages to his ex-girlfriend in Bengaluru. 

According to police, the incident took place on June 30 in Soladevanahalli, a locality in the Nelamangala taluk near Bengaluru.

The incident was captured on camera by one of the accused - who were allegedly inspired by the actor Darshan murder case in which a man was kidnapped and killed for sending obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda.

The footage shows the attackers beating Kushal, stripping him, and hitting him on his private parts.

Officials said that Kushal was in a relationship with a college student for two years, but they broke up a few months ago. The girl later got into a relationship with another man. Angered by this, Kushal sent some obscene messages to the girl. In retaliation, the girl, her boyfriend, and his friends allegedly planned the attack, following which they called him at a location on the pretext of solving the issue.

However, the accused instead kidnapped him in a car, took him to a deserted spot near a lake, and assaulted him.

During the assault, one of the attackers referred to the Renukaswamy murder case, threatening the victim with similar consequences. They were also laughing while invoking the "inspired" murder case.
In the video, the accused were heard saying that he (victim) is Renukaswamy and they are accused number one, two and three.

The Soladevanahalli police registered a case and arrested all eight accused involved in the assault.

"We have arrested all the eight accused on charges of robbery and kidnapping," a police said.

Renukaswamy murder case

Renukaswamy's body, bearing multiple injuries, was discovered near a drain in Bengaluru's Sumanahalli. Investigations revealed that Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga, had allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda. He was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and killed.

Initially, four individuals surrendered to the police claiming responsibility, citing a financial dispute. However, inconsistencies in their statements revealed a conspiracy involving Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others.

Actor Darshan was arrested on June 11 for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and killing of 33-year-old Renukaswamy on June 8.