M A I N   N E W S

President to meet kin of MiG-21 victims

New Delhi, August 3
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, supreme commander of the armed forces, has decided to meet the members of families of pilots who had been killed in MiG-21 crashes.

Dr Kalam was likely to give an audience to the members of these families on August 5.

They had recently sent a petition to the President, seeking his intervention in getting the MiG-21 phased out to save the precious lives of IAF men.

The IAF is clearly uncomfortable with the prospect of the IAF safety record becoming an emotive issue. The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy, has time and again stated that the MiG-21 was absolutely safe for flying and there was no plan to phase it out.

There are reports that the President has talked to the Prime Minister on the rising number of MiG crashes. Dr Kalam has asked for a comprehensive report on crashes. — UNI