The Delhi Airport drama escalated on Sunday after a passenger aboard an IndiGo flight physically assaulted the aircraft’s pilot who was making a delay announcement. A video of the incident is going viral on social media with several users slamming the passenger for opting physical assault and was later arrested for the same.
In the viral video, a passenger in a yellow hoodie was seen running up to the aircraft’s pilot and hitting him in anger. The incident took place while the pilot was making a delay announcement. The pilot replaced the previous crew due to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms after several hours of delay.
A case under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 290 (punishment for creating public nuisance) of the IPC and section 22 of the Aircraft Rules has been registered against the passenger and investigation taken up, another police officer said.
A passenger punched an Indigo capt in the aircraft as he was making delay announcement. The guy ran up from the last row and punched the new Capt who replaced the previous crew who crossed FDTL. Unbelievable ! @DGCAIndia @MoCA_GoI pic.twitter.com/SkdlpWbaDd— Capt_Ck (@Capt_Ck) January 14, 2024
Among all the airlines, IndiGo operations seemed to be the worst hit by the delays due to fog. Several social media users have raised their concerns over the airline’s inordinate delays, cancellations and missed flights. Meanwhile, several flights were delayed on Monday as well due to the fog situation in Northern India.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said incidences of unruly behaviour are “unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions”.
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IndiGo Files Complaint, Passenger Apologises
Soon after the incident, IndiGo filed a complaint against the passenger following which Delhi Police took action and said that appropriate legal action would be taken against the accused.
“Anup Kumar Co-Pilot Flight no 6E2175 and security came to the Police Station and gave a complaint regarding one passenger named Sahil Katriya, who assaulted and misbehaved with him in a flight which was set to fly from Delhi to Goa. He misbehaved in flight and hit the co-pilot. In this regard, a complaint was filed,” Delhi Police said.
“On the basis of complaint, a case vide FIR no 32/24 u/s 323/341/290 IPC and 22 aircraft rules has been registered and investigation has been taken up,” the police added.
The passenger, however, was seen apologising for his behaviour while he was being taken under police custody.
Indigo passenger who hit captain was picked up by airport security personellsDelhi police says that we have received a complain and are taking legal action. #Indigo #Airport #avgeeks #aviation #delhipolice #Fog pic.twitter.com/QmEWLGEpmh
— Nikhil Lakhwani (@nikhil_lakhwani) January 15, 2024
Meanwhile, the airline has formed an internal committee to address the incident and has referred the matter to the committee. Actions, including the potential inclusion of passengers on the ‘no-fly list’ are under consideration in the unruly behaviour category.
Indigo Issues Statement After Attack on Pilot
Following the fiasco, Indigo issued an official statement saying that the customer was declared unruly and handed over to the local law enforcement agencies, as per protocol.
The official statement further said, “This incident is being referred to the independent internal committee for appropriate action and inclusion of the customer on the ‘no-fly list’ as laid down in regulatory guidelines. The safety and security of our customers and crew are of paramount importance, and we maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards any such unacceptable behaviour.”
Viral Video Sparks Outrage
“There are a LOT of things wrong with how Indigo is conducting their business currently but there is ZERO justification for physical assault on an employee by a passenger,” an X user wrote, adding, “This man should be blacklisted for life and a probe must be conducted. This is unacceptable behaviour from any passenger on an aircraft or anywhere else for that matter. Shameful.”
There are a LOT of things wrong with how Indigo is conducting their business currently but there is ZERO justification for physical assault on an employee by a passenger.This man should be blacklisted for life & a probe must be conducted.
This is unacceptable behaviour from… pic.twitter.com/lktObGn9y4
— Suraj Balakrishnan (@SurajBala) January 14, 2024
“No matter what, resorting to physical violence is the most cowardly thing one can get into. Many should be taught that delays happens not for hours but for days as well for things beyond anyone’s control. Accepting what is not in our control is the best thing that one can do,” another user wrote.
No matter what, resorting to physical violence is the most cowardly thing one can get into. Many should be taught that delays happens not for hours but for days as well for things beyond anyone's control.Accepting what is not in our control is the best thing that one can do.
— Krish (@Krish15178490) January 15, 2024
Why Was The Delay?
According to a statement released by IndiGo on Sunday, the flight operations were impacted due to the low visibility and dense fog conditions across North India.
“This had a cascading effect on our operations throughout the day. Our staff kept passengers apprised of all delays and cancellations across airports and made every possible effort to facilitate the passengers. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” IndiGo airline said.
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