Home Secretary Govind Mohan to Lead Probe into Air India AI 171 Crash

Government of India has set up a high level multi disciplinary committee headed by Union Secretary Govind Mohan, to probe the AIr India flight number AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 12 June 2025. The committee will be separate from the investigation being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Air India flight number AI 171 crashed within minutes of taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad, en route to Gatwick Airport in London, England.

It was the first time a Boeing Dreamliner 747 crashed anywhere in the world.

Which Ministry has set up the High-Level Multidisciplinary Committee?

• The Committee has been set up by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. 
• The setting up of the committee was announced by the Union Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu in New Delhi on 13 June 2025.

Members of the High-Level Committee 

The Union Home Secretary, Govind Mohan, will head the high-level multidisciplinary committee.

It also includes the Civil Aviation Secretary, the Additional Secretary in the Union Home Secretary, representatives from the Gujarat Home Department and the Gujarat Disaster Response Authority, the Police Commissioner Ahmedabad, the Indian Air Force's Director General of Inspection and Safety, the Director Generals of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

It also includes the Special Director of the Intelligence Bureau and the Director of the Directorate of Forensic Science Services.

The committee is expected to submit its report in three months.

Mandate of the High-Level Committee 

The  Govind Mohan committee’s mandate is different from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. 

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will look into the technical aspect of the accident.

The mandate of the Govind Mohan is wider than the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is as follows;

• Investigate the circumstances and reason for the crash.
• Recommend a suitable standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent such incidents in the future.
• Look into the current emergency response of various stakeholders, including coordination and rescue operations. 
• Examine and suggest roles of the relevant central and state government agencies and organisations in dealing with post-crash incident handling and management.
• The committee will also suggest suitable policy changes, operational improvements and training required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations.

Also Read: Air India Dreamliner AI 171 Crash in Ahmedabad kills over 200 people