An alert over a loose bolt in new-built Boeing 737 Max passenger aircraft has prompted airlines in India which operate the type to carry out checks to ensure there are no defects that can affect flight safety.

India’s aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is closely monitoring the situation and has been in touch with Akasa, Air India Express and SpiceJet, which operate the aircraft.

This comes after the US’ Federation Aviation Administration said it is closely monitoring targeted inspections of Boeing 737 MAX airplanes to look for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system. The plane manufacturer has said the issue identified on a particular aircraft has been fixed and asked airlines to conduct an inspection of their Boeing 737 Max fleet.

The DGCA has said it is in touch with its US counterpart and Boeing and that the checks currently being carried out are part of the regular process to ensure flight safety.

“This has been an ongoing issue with Max 737 and these are service bulletins issued from time to time by Boeing to the airline operators for the suggested action whenever any issue is come across. We have been in touch with Boeing, FAA and our airline operators in the past too on such issues concerning 737 Max,” the DGCA said in a statement.

“In such cases, mitigation as recommended by the Original Equipment Manufacturers is carried out by the airline operator as has been done in the past in respect of 737 Max,” it added.

An Akasa Air spokesperson has said Boeing had informed them about the issue. “Like all operators around the world, and in accordance with our highest standards of safety, Akasa will be following the same checks and procedures that the manufacturer or regulator recommends. Our operating fleet and deliveries are not impacted so far,” it said.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said the fresh alert will have no impact on its operations. A response from Air India Express is expected soon.

Boeing 737 Max, the manufacturer’s fastest-selling plane in history, was grounded worldwide in 2019 after crashes in Indonesia and Jakarta left 356 people dead. The aircraft was back in service early in 2021.

In an incident shocking in its brutality, an 18-year-old Dalit woman working at an oil mill was pushed into a cauldron with hot oil when she protested sexual harassment. The incident, which took place at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, has left the teenager with serious burns. She has been moved to Delhi for treatment.

The three accused, including the mill owner, have been arrested.

A complaint filed by the woman’s brother yesterday says members of his family worked at an oil mill at Dhanaura Silvernagar village. His sister was working at the mill when the accused — mill owner Pramod and associates Raju and Sandip — started harassing her. When she protested, the accused allegedly hurled casteist abuses. They then pushed her into the cauldron full of hot oil, her brother has said.

In a statement recorded from her bed at a Delhi hospital, the 18-year-old said the accused misbehaved with her and verbally abused her before pushing her into the cauldron.

The woman has suffered burns on more than half of her body, with her legs and arms seriously scalded.

Based on her brother’s complaint, the police registered a case under sections relating to attempt to murder, assaulting a woman and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “We have arrested the three accused and further action is being taken,” Circle Officer Vijay Chaudhary said.

The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance in the north and central Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden following frequent security incidents on merchant vessels sailing through international shipping lanes.

Naval task groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and help merchant vessels in case of any incident, the navy said in a statement today.

The navy said it is also working closely with the Coast Guard to check new security risks in the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Navy’s move comes days after a merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, was struck by a drone 400 km off the Indian coastline. The ship with 21 crew members – 20 Indians and a Vietnamese – arrived at the Mumbai port under the protection of Coast Guard ship Vikram on December 26, two days after it was struck in the Arabian Sea.

“The last few weeks have seen increased maritime security incidents on merchant vessels transiting through international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and central/north Arabian Sea,” the navy said in the statement.

“The piracy incident on MV Ruen, approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast, and the recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto, approximately 220 nautical miles southwest of Porbandar, indicates a shift in maritime incidents closer to Indian EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” the navy said.

Apart from destroyers and frigates, the navy has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and maritime patrol aircraft.

Long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8Is are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness.

The attack on MV Chem Pluto amid a flurry of new drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the vital Red Sea shipping lane since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, with the group claiming to act in solidarity with Gaza.

The Pentagon claimed the tanker ship was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran.” It was the first time the Pentagon openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.