The mother of deceased Gulf Air Captain Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi today (Monday) filed a writ petition in the High Court (HC) against four people for failure and refusal to investigate Gulf Air.

The four persons are - CAAB (Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh), Chairman Muhammad Mafidur Rahman, Gulf Air country manager Issa Shaah, and Co-Pilot Khalil Abu Razak. 

Mohannad Yousef Hassan Al Hindi, Gulf Air senior pilot was declared dead on December 14, 2022, while undergoing treatment at United Hospital. 

According to the case statement, the deceased pilot's mother Mrs Samiha blamed the Gulf Air officials and United Hospital for her son’s death.

According to her, United Hospital delayed and misdiagnosed three heart attacks. On the other hand, Gulf Air didn't follow FAA rules while assigning Captain Mohannad Al Hindi the flight task as the pilot's heart had 99% blockage. 

Mrs. Samiha told this through a press release.

She said ''Bahrain and Gulf Air are trying hard to clear their hands off my son's death by abusing the system of Bangladesh and obstructing justice. "My son served Gulf Air for 25 years. Why didn’t Gulf Air put United Hospital doctors behind bars? How long do you think you can prevent justice? What are you hiding? He died in his uniform. They killed my soul." 

Gulf Air Pilot Mother also stated, "Gulf Air and Bahrain, the Muslim Country, are holding my Islamic inheritance from my son's long years of work as hostage to extort us from pursuing legal action against them and the doctors, shame." 

"It would have been a different story and tragedy if my son had his heart attack half an hour later in the air, but thank God, he didn't die while flying their plane. Many innocent lives were saved, and this is how Gulf Air repays him, she added. 

However, the mother also sought justice for her son to Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said, “I urge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take all necessary measures to ensure justice in the case of her son's death, as he was a guest of Bangladesh.”

“I hope Sheikh Hasina's government will not do any discrimination. I urge not to conspire with Gulf Air and doctors to hide justice, she said.

This writ petition has been filed today against CAAB's failure to follow the Civil Aviation Authority Act, which clearly gives it the power to penalise any airline operator who operates in Bangladesh. 

Surprisingly, even after a High Court order in a previous writ petition filed by the pilot's sister, CAAB refused to do any investigation, stating that it had no authority to investigate a foreign airline. 

Anyone who reads the Civil Aviation Authority Act will know that CAAB's authority is over all airline operators as long as the incident is in Bangladesh," said Barrister Saqeb Mahbub, lawyer of Mrs Samiha.   

BDST: 2025 HRS, SEP 18, 2023
MSK/SMS