An off-duty Air India Express pilot allegedly assaulted a passenger at the Delhi airport on Friday, following which the airline has suspended him pending
investigation. Now, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has ordered a formal inquiry into the incident. The Ministry has also directed the airline to ground the pilot with immediate effect. MoCA has sought detailed reports from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for airport security. "The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken serious cognisance of the incident and directed the airline to ground the pilot with immediate effect. A formal enquiry has been ordered. Detailed reports have been sought from BCAS and CISF," MoCA posted on X.
A passenger, Ankit Dewan, shared his experience in a social media post along with a photo showing blood on his face. Dewan alleged that Air India Express captain Virender Sejwal allegedly assaulted him physically at Terminal 1 (T1) of the Delhi airport and his seven-year-old daughter, who saw the assault, is still traumatised and scared. He also shared a photo of the pilot.
According to Dewan, he and his family were guided to use the security check that the staff uses because they had a four-month-old baby in a stroller. "The staff was cutting the queue ahead of me. On calling them out, Capt. Virender, who himself was doing the same thing, asked me if I was anpadh (uneducated), and couldn't read the signs that said this entry was for staff," he said in a post on X. Dewan said a verbal scuffle broke out and the pilot physically assaulted him, leaving him bloody.
While the actions taken by the authorities after the incident could not be ascertained, the passenger claimed that he was forced to write a letter stating that he would not pursue this matter further.
"It was either write that letter, or miss my flight and throw the 1.2 lakhs holiday bookings down the drain. @DelhiPolice, why can't I file a complaint after coming back? Must I sacrifice my money too, to seek justice? Will the CCTV footage disappear in the 2 days till I make it back to Delhi?" he said in the post.
Following the incident, the airline said it is aware of the incident at the Delhi airport involving one of its employees, who was travelling as a passenger on another airline, and had an altercation with another passenger. "We unequivocally condemn such behaviour. The employee concerned has been removed from official duties with immediate effect, pending investigation. Appropriate disciplinary action will be initiated based on the findings of the inquiry," the airline said.
