Kozhikode:

In a shocking incident, one person was killed and at least three others were injured in firing at Karipur airport near here as fire force staff clashed with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel on Wednesday night leading to a temporary closure of the airport.

S.S. Yadav, a CISF personnel, died after he was seriously injured in gunshots that went off during a scuffle between two others, sources said.

The firing is said to have occurred during an argument over transit pass and frisking on the fire force personnel by the CISF jawans. An argument broke out when CISF jawans stopped fire force personnel on duty and it was soon escalated into a clash.

Flights diverted to Kochi

Two flights, including an Air India flight from Mumbai that arrived at 10.25 pm, circled above the airport awaiting permission from the aviation control division to land and were later diverted to the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery.

The situation further worsened when officials of airport authority arrived at the site.

Following the firing, CISF personnel attacked the fire force department at the airport causing damage to the force's property.

Considering the tense atmosphere, Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said that the airport will be closed down till noon on Thursday. All flights to Karipur till then will be diverted to Nedumbassery.

Crowd gathered at the airport after the firing incident. Photo: Onmanorama

A decision on the flights in afternoon will be taken Thursday morning, airport authority officials said.

Situation under control

The shooting took place at a high security zone of the airport where containers are being dealt with.

The situation was very tense and though the local police rushed to the airport, the CISF jawans seized control of the airport and chased away visitors accompanying passengers there.

On the other hand, fire force personnel are protesting lining up their vehicles on the runway.

Speaking to Manorama News, Ramesh Chennithala said that more policemen have been deployed at the airport.

Calicut International Airport, also known as Karipur airport. File photo

The situation was calm by 1 am in the night.

The injured have been taken to nearby hospitals and one of them is Sunny Thomas, Senior Superintendent of Fire and Rescue department at the airport. The injured CISF jawans are identified as Sitaram Chaudhary and Narayanan.