Kolkata: Police have traced the source of the laser beam that disoriented the pilot of a Malaysia Airlines flight during its landing approach at Kolkata airport on Saturday night to Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas and are now trying to identify those responsible.The incident has prompted Bidhannagar and Barrackpore police to step up enforcement, with all police stations within an 18-km radius of the airport being asked to issue fresh warnings against the use of laser lights directed to the sky.Police have been asked to specifically caution banquet halls, hotels, festival pandals and other venues that use high-intensity lights. Officials said strict action would be taken against anyone found projecting laser beams into the flight path.The Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata Malaysia Airlines flight, carrying 159 passengers and seven crew members, was approaching the airport when the pilot was hit by flashes of laser light. The aircraft was around 15 km from the airport at the time and the beam temporarily disoriented the pilot, forcing the crew to delay the landing and gain altitude before making another approach.The aircraft eventually landed safely. The incident was reported to the airport authorities, following which a police complaint was lodged and an investigation launched.Sources said the laser beam was traced to the Ashoknagar area in North 24 Parganas. “We are now trying to establish the exact location from where the beam was projected and identify the people involved,” said a senior officer of Bidhannagar City Police while citing that it is beyond their police jurisdiction and that they were taking help from the adjacent Barasat police division.The latest action comes ahead of the festive and wedding season, when laser shows and high-intensity illumination are frequently used at puja pandals, banquet halls and other venues. The airport authorities have previously flagged such venues as potential sources of laser interference.Directorate General of Civil Aviation prohibits the use of laser lights within an 18.5-km radius of an airport. An Airports Authority of India protocol also requires laser interference reported by pilots to be immediately communicated to police or the district administration so that the source can be traced and appropriate action taken.Airport officials said laser beams pose a serious safety risk because pilots are particularly vulnerable to glare and temporary visual impairment during the final stages of landing. An aircraft can descend rapidly during its approach, leaving little room for a pilot to recover from a sudden loss of visual focus.“Since cockpit windows are frequently curved and covered in microscopic scratches, a single narrow laser beam hitting the glass scatters. This causes the entire flight deck to instantly illuminate with an intense, blinding glare causing disorientation for pilots,” an airport official said.Bidhannagar Police has previously warned that laser shows are prohibited in areas under its jurisdiction, while similar restrictions are in force in large parts of the Barrackpore commissionerate and Barasat police district. Officials said fresh warnings would be issued to establishments and event organisers to ensure that laser beams are not directed skywards.“There is complete ban on laser lights within the entire jurisdiction of our commissionerate which we reissue after every 6 months. With the upcoming festive and wedding season in mind, more enforcement will be in place,” said a senior officer of Bidhannagar city police.
