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FIR against Alliance Air pilot, co-pilot withdrawn

Our Correspondent in Patna

The first information report, listing the pilot and co-pilot as accused in Monday's Alliance Air plane crash, has been withdrawn.

Though senior superintendent of police, Patna, Sunil Kumar, was not available for comment this morning, Gardanibagh police station inspector Pramod Kumar, who had originally filed the FIR, told rediff.com that since the SSP had told a vernacular daily that the report would be withdrawn after the inquiry, it should be considered withdrawn.

Other police officials had, however, denied that the FIR had been withdrawn.

It was based on the statement of a survivior, Prachi Rajgariya.

Though she apparently did not say anything against the pilot, Captain Manjit Singh Sohalpal and co-pilot, Arvind Singh Bagga, they have been charged with ''causing death by rash and negligence act, loss of government property and unlawful interpretation of the Civil Aviation Operation Act, 1982.''

Kumar recorded the statement of Rajgariya under Indian Penal Code Sections 279/337/338/304A and 427A besides Section 3 of the Civil Aviation Operation Act of 1982.

Kumar said the case had been referred to the court of the chief judicial magistrate for investigations. Sub-inspector Sitaram Singh has been asked to investigate the case.

Rajgarhiya had told the police that "when the plane was about to touch the runway around 07:30 hours IST, we felt a severe jerk inside and within a fraction of a second I became unconscious."

The withdrawal of the FIR would will the way for the payment of compensation to family members of the pilot and co-pilot.

See full coverage of the Alliance Air crash

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