Mumbai airport security officer transferred

AKS Billawria, regional deputy director with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security in Mumbai, was transferred to a smaller airport last week. Soubhik Mitra reports.

AKS Billawria, regional deputy director with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security in Mumbai, was transferred to a smaller airport last week.

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Airport sources said a slew of security moves by Billawria against influential fliers seeking easy access to the airfield rubbed many of them the wrong way. Billawria will be in charge of the Kolkata region.

Over the past three months, politicians’ requests for seeking airport passes were turned down, senior policemen were forced to undergo frisking and private jet fliers were barred from taking their cars to the tarmac.

“These rules aren’t new, but were probably implemented for the first time, which could have caused the sudden transfer,” said a senior airport official requesting anonymity.

Sources said local politicians wanting to greet senior party members inside the terminal were not given access.

Billawria also wrote a letter to the Mumbai police commissioner saying that all policemen, irrespective of their seniority, have to undergo security checks.

Billawria was unavailable for comment, and so was BB Dash, joint commissioner of security.