India, Sept. 17 -- The 91-year-old father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the two pilots of Air India Flight AI 171 that crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, has urged the government to order a formal inquiry into the accident, alleging that selective leaks from the preliminary investigation have unfairly tarnished his son's reputation.

In a letter to the secretary of civil aviation ministry and the head of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Pushkaraj Sabharwal said that the investigation so far has been limited to a preliminary inquiry under Rule 9 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. He called upon authorities to invoke Rule 12, which provides for a formal court-l...