The Delhi Police on Monday recorded the statement of 15 employees of the Air India who were witness to the beating of their 60-year-old colleague by the Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad on March 24.
The Air India staffer duty manager R Sukumar Raman, who was beaten by the lok Sabha MP from Maharashtra’s Osmanabad, also recorded his statement before the Investigating Officer (IO) under section 161 of the CrPC.
A team of Crime Branch headed by DCP Ram Gopal Naik tried to reconstruct of sequence of events leading to the unsavoury incident that had taken place inside an Air India aircraft. The Delhi Police has also sought the video footage of the incident from the airport premises regarding which an FIR was registered against Gaikwad.
Madhur Verma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) and Delhi Police spokesperson said, “Fifteen people, including the complainant, have recorded their statement with the Delhi police on Monday. Further probe is on.”
A senior police officer, privy to the investigation said, “On Monday morning, a team of Crime Branch officers constituted under DCP Ram Gopal Naik went to the Indira Gandhi International Airport to record the statements of the staff employees of Air India,” he said.
A day after the incident in which Gaikwad had allegedly thrashed Sukumar “25 times” with his slippers when the official persuaded him to disembark after the plane landed at the IGI Airport from Pune, the Delhi Police registered a case under Section 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person) of the Indian Penal Code at the IGIA police station.
Following which the case was transferred to the Crime Branch.
The senior police official said, “We have sought the duty chart of all other employees of the Air India airlines who have not come forward and shared information regarding the incident. We have also sought CCTV footage and other video-graphic evidence regarding the incident to ascertain the exact sequence of events.”