Kolkata: There was outrage on social media after videos of a man slapping a co-passenger on an IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Kolkata surfaced. The man who was slapped had suffered a panic attack and was being helped down the aisle by two flight attendants when the incident occurred.
IndiGo confirmed that the incident took place on IndiGo flight 6E138, an Airbus A321 aircraft, on Thursday. According to the airline, the man was handed over to the authorities immediately after the flight landed in Kolkata. It also said that the process of filing an “incident report” has been initiated. The incident will be reviewed by a committee to determine if the accused passenger should be put on a “no-fly” list.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also been informed of the matter, the airline said. A senior officer with the Bidhannagar Police in Kolkata said that the passenger was detained and released later.
According to officials, one of the passengers suffered a panic attack mid-air and was making some noise. It was then decided to change his seat. As he was being shifted, a passenger on an aisle seat suddenly slapped him. One of the flight attendants reacted and asked the seated passenger to behave himself. Other passengers also berated him for his misbehaviour. The passenger who was more panic-stricken and moaning loudly by then.
The accused passenger claimed that he was ‘disturbed’ by the noises the man was making. But that was no reason to physically abuse someone, others reasoned, particularly when airline staff were handling the matter.
The cabin crew then calmed things down and shifted the accused to another seat, at a distance from the panic-stricken man.
“We are aware of the brawl that occurred on one of our flights. Such unruly behavior is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and respect of our passengers and crew,” IndiGo posted on X and said that the accused was handed over to security personnel after the flight landed.
In a twist to the tale, family members of the passenger who was slapped have now claimed that he is missing. The passenger was travelling to his home in Silchar, Assam from Mumbai via Kolkata. Relatives claimed that his phone is switched off.
